Goodbye, Jaune
by TheJenkinsCurse
Summary: Jaune Arc remembers his favorite moments with his companion and friend of the JNPR team, Pyrrha Nikos. Along with help from team RWBY and the other members of team JNPR, Jaune and Pyrrha slowly fall for one another. Please comment what you think and if you have any suggestions for chapters feel free to comment the idea!
1. Endings

Jaune, with his legs failing him, stumbled out of the locker pod and onto the cracked asphalt. The second he was able to sit up on his knees, he pulled his Scroll from his back pocket and brought up Weiss' contact. Within seconds she answered with, "Where are you?" She seemed rushed and slightly out of breath. And still, even with everything going on, Beacon in ruins, friends dropping left and right, and her voice still remained even and slightly annoyed, the way her voice always seemed like to Jaune. Any other conversation with her, Jaune would usually marvel especially at her voice. But now was an urgent time. Something more important than a woman's voice, something more important than himself, he would think.

"Weiss!" His voice almost cracked, "You have to stop her!" Weiss could barely comprehend his sentence before he added in, "Pyrrha! She's going after that woman... at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!" Jaune nearly broke down in tears at the thought. He didn't care anymore if he did, he knew he couldn't help at all. It crushed his heart. Weiss had taken a moment to think.

"Jaune, what are you talking about? Where are you?"

At that moment he lost it. Why couldn't she just follow his order, he thought. Jaune was trying his absolute best to force Weiss. "Don't worry about me!" He got up onto his feet and leaned against a nearby shop's window for balance. "Please... You have to save Pyrrha."

"We will." Weiss replied solidly. "Are you okay?" Why was she wasting time? These few seconds could be crucial in Pyrrha's survival. He threw his Scroll down onto the ground, then breaks down into dry tears to the sound of his Scroll shattering.

"Please..." He said once more, falling onto his hands and knees. Jaune's head dropped. The distant sound of a loud, screaming Grimm filled the air. Jaune was officially head over heels for Pyrrha after the kiss. The thought that kept running through his head was the thought of irony. How ironic would it be that their first kiss, would also be their last? The line kept on playing in his head like a broken projector. He had already prayed a million times for some kind of intervention, be it godly or worldly to save Pyrrha.

Jaune had spent many days and nights with Pyrrha and knew exactly what she was capable of. Pyrrha would always be miles ahead of Jaune in combat, but he knew that she wouldn't last forever against Cinder. For all he knew, Ozpin was dead. Jaune was always around Ozpin at random times. He somehow knew exactly what to say to give Jaune courage. And now, he was possibly dead under the tower. All thanks to Cinder. Jaune regained his posture and breathed in deeply, knowing that he couldn't let another person he cared about die. Not today. He turned around, the way he came from in the pod, and began to run. He ran as fast as he could towards the distant tower with his sword now drawn and his shield out.

"I'm coming!" He called, tears welding up in his eyes. "I'm coming Pyrrha!" But something bright forced him to close his eyes. It came from the top of the tower, a bright white light that blocked out everything but the hand he used to block the light with. Jaune slowed to a stop, and knew whatever it was, it wasn't good. he hid behind a nearby wall and prayed that whatever it was, was on his side. Was Pyrrha alright? Jaune closed his eyes tight, and as he felt the warmth take over him, every single moment he shared with Pyrrha flashed in his mind.

Starting with the first time he truly felt something for the redhead who stole his heart.


	2. Training As Usual

"Gah!" Jaune exclaimed as he fell to the ground on his back. He rubbed the back of his head with a sigh, his sword laying beside him on the balcony. A slender pale hand extended down to him, to which he took. When Jaune was pulled up quickly and dusted himself off before looking back up at the woman, her smirk distracting him.

"You need to have a lower center of gravity. Your opponent can fling you around all they want, unless you've got that advantage." Pyrrha's steady and calm voice soothed Jaune in a way only she could achieve, which was helpful when Jaune got frustrated with training. He reached down and grabbed his sword and got into his stance, which Pyrrha responded with her own. He charged Pyrrha with a grunt, sword extended and shield held strong. He made sure to come at Pyrrha with a slight bend in his knees to get lower than normal.

"Good!" Pyrrha said enthusiastically as she easily dodged Jaune and kicked the back of his knee in, Jaune tripping to the ground with another grunt. "Sorry!" She winced slightly as he fell onto his hands and knees.

"I can't do it." Jaune muttered to himself, his bangs covering his eyes filled with shame. Pyrrha pushed a strand of hair back.

"Excuse me?" Pyrrha asked, not hearing him.

"I said I can't do it!" Jaune stated, getting back up and tossing his sword and shield to the side. "I'm never going to get any better at this! It's pointless to even try." Pyrrha sighed, knowing it was that time of the night already when Jaune would give his I-Give-Up speech.

"This early huh?" Pyrrha hid her smile. "How do you plan on impressing anyone with just the flashy armor?"

"Don't mock me."

"Who says I'm mocking you?" Pyrrha placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder, and his head turned to look her in the eye. "You are a talented warrior, there's a reason Ozpin picked you to be the leader of our team. He knows the kind of potential you have, you just need to unleash it." She finished it off with her half-smile and a reassuring squeeze of his shoulder. Using her polarity, Pyrrha levitated Jaune's sword and shield into his hands. "C'mon, we still haven;t practiced your defense yet."

Jaune looked down at the tiled balcony before looking back up at her with a grin, "Alright, let's do this." He raised his shield hand and bent his knees. Pyrrha took a few steps back with her own weapons ready, eager to help her leader practice. She jumped into the air, spinning the whole way before bringing her spear down onto his shield.

Jaune opened the door to their room, where Ren and Nora sat talking on their bed with Nora jumping up and down. "-And did you see the way I just, dodged your attack and kicked you back like, twenty feet?!" Jaune exclaimed excitedly to Pyrrha who followed behind him. She looked proud of her prodigy, giving him a reassuring thumbs up.

"You did great today, I'm very impressed. Your swordplay has improved." She ignored the over exaggeration and put her sword and spear into her closet, as well as her headpiece.

"Training went well I suppose?" Ren looked up from his book at Jaune, who was busy putting away his own gear.

Jaune looked over his other shoulder at Pyrrha as she managed her hair. "Fantastic." He stated simply, not knowing that Pyrrha would give him the same look the second he turned away.


	3. Wrong Words

The cafeteria was bustling with the sound of students chatting and silverware clanking on plates. Nora Valkyrie was one of those chatting students sitting to Jaune's right, with Pyrrha to his left. He ate his Dino-shaped chicken nuggets slowly as he halfheartedly listened in on Nora's story about fighting Professor Goodwitch in her dream she had the night before. He was far more interested in Pyrrha and her own, normally shaped chicken strips. How could he have been so blind before? She was nice, caring, strong... everything that made her out of his league is what he truly liked about her. She wasn't a bland girl with no personality or originality. You could pick her out of a crowd of a million people easily.

"Do you want them?" Pyrrha asked, noticing Jaune. To this, Jaune snapped out of his daydreaming and realized he had been staring. Nora and Ren were still talking away to his right.

"Uh... what?" He asked in his usual higher-than-most-guys voice, dumbfounded like always with his head in the clouds.

"Do you want them?" She repeated. "If you're still hungry then you can have mine." Pyrrha nudged her plate in Jaune's direction. Good, he thought. At least he could fake a reason why he was staring.

"Uh, y-yeah!" He said taking the plate and began eating her strips with a big, fake smile. He wasn't hungry at all, in fact he hadn't even eaten all of his own plate. But he knew if he didn't eat then the others would find out something was wrong with him and pry the answer out of him.

Pyrrha saw right through his fake smile but decided not to cause drama in front of the others and suppressed her questions. There was another time she could ask, she thought. Jaune looked the same way he always did; absolutely perfect, at least in Pyrrha's eyes. His blond shaggy hair covered the top of his bright blue eyes, Even though he was a pretty skinny guy, definitely not muscular, his armor plates he always wore over his jacket and jeans made him look slightly bulkier, and Pyrrha liked that. Jaune never paraded his strength like Cardin did. Pyrrha always admired subtlety, she wondered if that's why Jaune was so appealing to her.

"You seem awfully hungry today. Did I work you too hard last night?" Pyrrha didn't understand why everyone at their table - including Jaune, Nora, Ren, and team RWBY - suddenly stopped to look at her. "What?" She questioned, looking around the table and noticing Jaune's blush. "He did! He works very hard at what he does. One of these days he's going to be on top." That line caused even more confusion.

"Pyrrha please-" Jaune tried to stop her.

"No, you were fantastic last night!I'm not letting your good deeds go unnoticed. I'm surprised the whole school didn't hear us." Pyrrha tried to explain how much Jaune was improving at swordplay, but it obviously came out wrong. "His sword was just always in the right place!"

"Uh, Pyrrha?" Weiss asked, setting down her wrap. "What exactly did you and Jaune do last night?" At this point the whole table was blushing, with Blake looking up from her book and Ruby not able to face Pyrrha.

"Well what do you think? We were practicing Jaune's fighting, of course." The table breathed a communal sigh of relief, Jaune still blushing like crazy. He was stuffing his face with food to try and hide his embarrassment.

"I bet he's been getting better at other things, thanks to you Pyrrha." Yang giggled on the other side of the table, with Ruby punching her shoulder. "Ew, Yang!"

Pyrrha, who now understood how vague her words were, immediately brought her hand up to her mouth. "Oh my gosh, that's not what I- I didn't mean it like..." Now it was Pyrrha who was blushing like crazy, exchanging looks with Jaune who was trying to hide himself behind his hands. Everyone was laughing within the minute and had moved on to the next topic of conversation, but Pyrrha and Jaune still gave each other glances every now and then before blushing and looking away.

From then on, Pyrrha knew she needed to be more specific with her words.


	4. Whispers

If there was one word that could describe Jaune's nights, it would be sleepless. Most nights before Beacon, he'd sleep like a baby. Not even earthquakes could wake him. But ever since his first night at Beacon he's had trouble sleeping. Of course, it didn't help that Pyrrha was in the bed across from him. It just gave him one more thing to think about at night. Nora and Ren always managed to fall asleep quickly, and Pyrrha would usually stay up longer than the others. Jaune would pretend to be asleep while Pyrrha managed the room. That included cleaning the messes Jaune and Ren left, studying for school, and usually followed by reading for a while before she'd finally turn off her bedside light and turn over.

Pyrrha would sometimes write things down in a notebook or diary of some kind. That surprised Jaune, since she didn't seem like the kind of person who would have one of those.

But, there are always those special moments. Those few times when something truly magnificent happens that Jaune absolutely loved. Ranging from simple things like putting away his clothes when he was busy, to helping Jaune with his fighting technique. It just so happened that night would be one of those moments.

Pyrrha had made a few noises in her sleep, sometimes light whimpers and other times grunts followed by her rolling over. After a long pause, Pyrrha moved in the moonlight. "Jaune...?" Pyrrha asked quietly from her bed. The lights were out and the only thing visible was Pyrrha's shoulder, lit up along with the side of her bed by the moonlight through the window. Jaune wasn't sure if he should answer or not. "Are you awake?"

Jaune decided to go out on a limb. "Yeah?" He said in an equally quiet tone.

"I didn't wake you did I?"

"N-no, of course not." Jaune played with his hands, not sure if Ren or Nora was awake either. It was around 2 in the morning, which was way later than Pyrrha would usually be up. She had turned her light out at least 2 hours earlier.

"Oh, good..." She responded in her harmonic, steady voice. Jaune could see her move her hand up and out of the light. "I was wondering... Are you usually up this late?"

"Yeah, I haven't really been able to sleep since I got here."

"Have you tried counting sheep?"

"Since when has that ever worked for anyone?"

"Just a suggestion. Warriors need their sleep."

"So then, why aren't you asleep?" Jaune asked, to which Pyrrha didn't respond. Jaune cocked an eyebrow which of course wasn't visible in the dark. Pyrrha shuffled in her bed.

"I... I'm not sure. I couldn't sleep I guess." Pyrrha lied. "Nothing big. A lot to think about."

"Pyrrha, did you have a nightmare?" More silence. He lifted his head up and looked at her, hoping she wouldn't end the conversation.

"It's stupid, I was just wondering why you were up too. Do you have a lot of nightmares?"

"You have to sleep to have nightmares. Maybe that's why Ozpin always has coffee." Jaune speculated. "Maybe he has insomnia too."

"That's definitely a possibility." Pyrrha stated in her optimistic-yet-serious tone. Any time Pyrrha talked, Jaune paid attention. Her voice was like hearing the sirens talk. Jaune believed his voice was unmanly and girly, which made him not want to talk all together some days.

Jaune rubbed his eyes, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'd rather forget about it altogether." Pyrrha decided. But then she realized she might be able to talk to him more if she confessed. She wasn't tired after her nightmare and loved to talk to Jaune. Even with his high voice, Pyrrha found comfort whenever he talked. "On second thought... I... I had a dream that, I was fighting Grimm. They were everywhere and I was surrounded. I fought as hard as I could but to no prevail. Nora, and Ren, and you, Jaune... were all counting on me to save you and... I collapsed under the pressure. I was overwhelmed." Pyrrha took a breather.

"Was that all?"

"No. I trained so hard to train, and prepare for every possibility and when it came down to me I couldn't handle it." Her voice cracked slightly near the end. "What good am I if I can't handle the pressure? It's just a waste of time and resources." She breathed in sharply and Jaune knew all too well what she had started to do; cry. He had his fare share of crying at Beacon, but had never heard Pyrrha cry. It was light and quiet, almost like a laugh.

He could see her hand come up to her face to try and keep herself quiet. Jaune was never good at speeches. But he decided that he might as well make a fool of himself to help her.

"Pyrrha, there's always going to be someone stronger. Or better. But you can't let that get to you. I'll stay by your side and make sure you never have to be alone again. I promise you that." He cleared his throat. "It was just a dream. I bet that you can handle more pressure than any of us combined. You're fine, Pyrrha. You're more than fine." Now it was Jaune's turn to take a breather.

"Do you mean that, Jaune?"

"Absolutely. I'll leave you to get some sleep."

"Wait," She said holding out her arm slightly. "I'd rather talk to you than go to sleep."

"But you said it yourself, warriors need their sl-"

"I don't care, I spend all of my time studying and training, and sleeping. I never give myself time to just... talk."

Jaune smiled in the darkness, glad that Nora and Ren hadn't woken up yet. "Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

And the two of them talked until the sun came up. But what they didn't know was that Ren and Nora were awake, listening in on their conversation eagerly. They each had their Scroll out under their blankets so the light wouldn't shine, sending messages to each other.

 _Can you believe these two? -Ren_

 _I know! They're sooooo CUTE together! -Nora_

 _I mean, they're talking at two in the morning. I'm going to tell them to go to bed. -Ren_

 _Don't. You. DARE! They are having a moment! -Nora_

 _I guess you're right. I just hope this doesn't continue all night. If it does, I might just force them to kiss each other. -Ren_

 _I better be awake for that! -Nora_

Unfortunately for Jaune and Pyrrha, Ren didn't do what he promised. But these conversations continued on night after night, Pyrrha and Jaune expressing themselves to each other over the moonlight.

It was one of Jaune's favorite moments.


	5. Picnics and Disappointments

After the fifth consecutive night of Ren waking up to Pyrrha and Jaune's giggles at night, he'd had enough. He made sure Nora heard his complaints as well; It was his normal topic of conversation.

"They can lose all the sleep they want, but i'm not jeopardizing mine so they can be all secretive and caring at night. Why can't they just kiss and get together? Then at least they'd act like that during the day, and hopefully ware them down for when they go to sleep." Ren took a long sip of his drink, setting it back down on the table.

"I don't understand how you can't enjoy it! They're perfect for each other!" Nora exclaimed.

"It's cute, but not when I lose sleep over it. If we just forced them to confess how they feel about each other this will all go away. I mean, it's been months since they first started talking when we're sleeping. I'm surprised it took this long for it to annoy me-"

"Wait, Ren, say that again." Nora waved her hands around counter clockwise to show him.

"Uh, it's been months...?"

"No, you said something about forcing them."

"Yeah. What're you suggesting, we get Pyrrha to wear something thin and 'accidentally' drop water on her shirt?"

"No, jeez Ren! I mean, what if we just... nudge them along? We both know it's inevitable. What's wrong with speeding up the process a little? Just look at them! They're the closest friends I've ever seen!" Nora extended her hand out in Pyrrha and Jaune's direction, who were still in line getting their food. Jaune made some karate chops in the air and talked while Pyrrha laughed and lightly slapped his chest, causing them both to blush. "What do you think they're talking about?" Nora asked, not taking her eyes off of them.

"How much they love to ruin my nights."

"Oh suck it up."

Ren shrugged and continued to eat his pancakes, while Nora began to think of different ways to get them together. She could set up a nice, romantic date for them on the balcony in the moonlight? Or maybe a power point slide proposal to go steady? Or possibly a hot air balloon ride gone horribly right? There were so many choices that Nora nearly gave herself a headache thinking about it all.

Nora breathed in sharply and grinned, "Ren, I've got it! We send them each down to the garden at dusk, without either of them knowing the other is going. And then, when they arrive to find each other and a nice picnic set up, they'll have no choice but to fall in love!"

"That sounds like a good idea," Ren nodded, but only because it was a solution to his sleeping problem that didn't require him to do anything except cook.

"What does?" Jaune asked as he set down his tray of food beside Ren, followed by Pyrrha close behind. Ren and Nora both jumped slightly, not sure how much they had heard.

"Uh, uh, Nora was just thinking that, uh... We have a nice little group meeting? Down in the gardens... at sundown!" Ren stated, happy with his conclusion. Meanwhile, Ren and Nora had just realized that Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang all heard their elaborate schemes out loud. Nora gave them all a death glare, to which Ruby giggled lightly at.

"A group meeting? What for?" Pyrrha asked as she sat down beside Jaune.

"You'll find out when we get there." Ren kept it mysterious, which intrigued Jaune. He looked over at Pyrrha for help but she didn't have a clue either.

"Alright, I'll be there."

"Likewise."

"So," Ruby said drawn out, "How'd everyone sleep?"

Jaune got up from his bunk after realizing the sun had started to set - it was halfway sunk into the ground which lit up the room in an orange glow. Jaune's favorite time of the day was undoubtedly sundown. The colors of red and orange reminded him of Pyrrha, whom he linked a lot of things to. It was almost a secret obsession of his, always daydreaming in class about the redhead. He grabbed his things and headed out the door.

Pyrrha wiped the sweat from her brow and checked the time, "Oh, i've got to go now, but thank you for the training! It was fun!" Pyrrha exclaimed, waving to the group of easily defeated guys, most of them either unconscious or unable to stand while Pyrrha walked away with a spring in her step. She was already in her normal attire so she headed straight to the garden.

Pyrrha looked around the flowers and trees of the carefully tended garden for Ren, Nora and Jaune, but there was no sight of them. No, Jaune had not arrived yet, but Nora and Ren were, secretly watching from behind a nearby bush. "Hello?" Pyrrha called out. "Anyone here?"

"Where's Jaune? He's supposed to be here by now!" Nora exclaimed silently.

"He's Jaune, what did you expect?"

"Good poin-" She was cut off when she saw Jaune approach the garden slowly, coming up behind Pyrrha.

"Have you seen Ren or Nora?" He asked, tapping Pyrrha's shoulder gently. Pyrrha turned and smiled up at Jaune, not able to hide her happiness to see him.

"I have no clue, i've been here for a while and haven't seen any sign of them."

"Did they call off the meeting?" Ren was afraid they'd completely miss the picnic blanket and basket, so he tossed a rock over in the direction of the setup. It clanked against the side of a glass of water, which caught both Pyrrha and Jaune's attention.

"What's this?" Pyrrha asked, walking up to the basket and plucking the note off of it. She examined it closely before blushing dark red.

"What is it? I want to read!" Jaune grabbed the note and read it out loud. "Ahem. Dear Jaune and Pyrrha. It has come to our attention that this picnic was going to go to waste, and surely isn't enough for Ren and I to join. So please enjoy this wonderful feast on the house. It's my treat! XOXO, Nora..." Jaune looked at the paper, confused like always. "And there's some line and two dots down at the bottom..." Jaune tried to decipher the glyph.

"That's a winky face, Jaune." Pyrrha informed him.

"Did they plan this?" Jaune asked, to which Pyrrha turned over the paper for him to read aloud the note on the back. "P.S., we planned this. There was no meeting." Jaune looked up at Pyrrha who held her arm, swaying slightly.

"Well, it is a nice picnic... and it'd be a shame for the food to go to waste... who says we can't enjoy a nice meal?" Pyrrha gave an optimistic smile.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Nora whispered happily, watching it unfold.

"I'd love to-" Jaune's pocket buzzed, and he pulled out his Scroll. "It's Weiss." He said, answering the Scroll, puzzled. Jaune began to talk on his Scroll as Pyrrha ran her hand through her hair anxiously, hoping he'd return to her soon.

"No, no, no! Jaune you idiot, why would you answer that?!" Nora said, frustrated.

When June finally hung up, he had a worried look on his face.

"What is it Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, putting a hand on his arm.

"Ozpin wants me up in his office..." Jaune looked down at the picnic. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He said.

Pyrrha gave one of her convincing, fake smiles. "Hurry back." She told him. And with that, Jaune waved and left Pyrrha standing alone over the nicely set picnic. Nora face-palmed, swearing to kill Jaune in his sleep. Ren and Nora waited behind the bush watching Pyrrha and the garden. Eventually Pyrrha sat down and sighed, looking up the sky. Minutes turned into hours and soon, Pyrrha found herself almost falling asleep waiting for Jaune. It had to be at least 11 at night, poor Pyrrha waiting out in the cold by herself for Jaune to return. At least Ren and Nora had brought blankets with them.

Pyrrha soon got up, head bowed, and began to clean up the picnic that was so amazing and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. She sighed once more before leaving to their room. "Jaune is such an idiot! I'm going to break his legs!" Nora said.

"Maybe we should just call it a night and think about it more tomorrow. They'll probably talk all night, so let's get back to the dorm as soon as possible before Jaune comes." Nora nodded in agreement and got up with Ren, making sure Pyrrha was out of sight before leaving the garden.

When they got to the door, Ren stopped Nora from opening the door. He moved her aside and very slowly opened the door a crack. Inside he could hear the faint sound of Pyrrha crying. "Perfect." Ren said. He knocked on the door a few times and gave Pyrrha a few seconds to correct herself before coming in.

"Hey," He waved and climbed into his bed, not asking anything more. Nora got into hers as well, and Pyrrha's eyes were red from crying. She decided that night to go to bed early, with Ren and Nora.

By the time Jaune came in it was well past 2 in the morning. He made sure to put away his gear slowly, before getting into his bed and looking over at Pyrrha who had her back turned to him. "I shouldn't have answered that call..." Jaune decided before closing his eyes, not able to fall asleep like the other nights. except this time, he didn't have anyone to talk to.

* * *

 **Author here, I hope everyone is enjoying the story! Any suggestions for chapters will be gratefully accepted! Thank you for reading!**


	6. This Can't be Happening

Jaune sat on the edge of his bed, running his hand through his thick hair. He tried his hardest to listen to Ren, but it seemed so hard to do. What he was asking for was preposterous. "Jaune, there's only one way you can overcome this fear of yours. Just pretend Nora is Pyrrha and we can start."

"But that defeats the whole-"

"If you don't do this, I guess we could just tell her right now," Nora threatened, which earned her a look of approval from Ren and a glare from Jaune.

"Alright, fine, we'll do this." He stood up and stretched, looking down at Nora.

"Ooooh I've got an idea!" She said, stopping him for a moment to go to Pyrrha's closet. She dug around a bit before laughing maniacally. When she shut the closet door and allowed herself to be seen again, Nora had on Pyrrha's outfit on, headpiece and all. "This should help!" She got back into place. Pyrrha was out, which made Jaune wonder why she didn't have her armor on.

"O-okay... um, Nora - I mean, Pyrrha... You're awesome and I can't imagine my time at Beacon being any good without you. I guess I just... I just... can't do it." He breathed out heavily and slumped his shoulders, causing Nora to frown.

"So I got dressed up just so you can turn me down?" She asked sternly.

Ren gave a sigh, "I figured this would happen. So, I prepared one last line of defense for you." Ren closed the door to the room, and a picture of Pyrrha hung on the wall. "o you don't have to worry about Nora screaming at you if you mess it up." This somehow gave Jaune more comfort, glad that Nora was taking Pyrrha's gear off and putting it away.

"You better not mess this up, it's just a picture for Ren's sake!" Nora exclaimed before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her, hiding a grin.

"Jaune cleared his throat and looked at the picture (Which was just the front of a Pumpkin Pete's box taped to the door,) directly in the eyes. "Pyrrha... I love having you as a friend. The things you've done for me are... unforgettable to say the least. If it isn't obvious already, I like you, a lot... and I admire our friendship..." He paused for a moment. "But, I'd rather be... more than just friends with you." Jaune closed his eyes and clenched his fist, which made him not notice that the door opened again with Pyrrha on the other side, being led by Nora into the room. Ren and Nora gave each other a grin. "I... I love you, Pyrrha Nikos. And I need you to be more to me than just a friend. Will, will you... Be my girlfriend?!" He exclaimed and opened his eyes, seeing the real Pyrrha stare back at him. Both had a look of bewilderment, and they were both blushing like crazy.

"J-Jaune...?" Pyrrha held her hand up to her mouth, gazing back at him.

"Pyrrha! I, I can ex-"

"Yes." Pyrrha cut him off, tears in her eyes.

"Wh-what?" Jaune couldn't comprehend her answer, so Pyrrha decided to show him. She came in close to Jaune and kissed his lips passionately, bringing her hands up to his cheeks. Jaune kept his eyes open for the first few seconds, glaring down at her with wide eyes before slowly closing them and returning the kiss. The sound of Ren and Nora high-fiving in the background was heard as they pulled away from each other.

"Does that clarify things?" Pyrrha giggled, still blushing deeply. Jaune felt like he'd collapse if he wasn't holding onto Pyrrha's shoulders. Jaune rested his head on hers, smiling like an idiot.

"I... I can't believe this is really happening." He stated, right before his alarm clock woke him up from his dream. Jaune slowly opened his eyes and groaned, staring up at the ceiling. He would've stayed in bed all day if Pyrrha didn't come into his vision, standing over him. She was already dressed.

"Let's go Jaune, we don't want to leave Nora alone with Ren at the table again or she might tell everyone you died after choking on a straw again." Pyrrha giggled, almost exactly like how she did in his dream, and extended a hand out to him.

Jaune took a moment to stare up at her and examine all the details in her face that he loved. He could easily have told her then how he felt. It wouldn't have been any different from his dream. But... there'es the possibility that she could say no, be completely disgusted with him, give up on their friendship and move on to marry Cardin and help him pick on poor Jaune. He didn't want to risk that, no matter how implausible the outcome may be. "Thanks..." He said and took her hand, slowly standing with her help. He got on his gear and joined Pyrrha out in the hallway after he was ready.

Jaune never understood how Pyrrha was never in a relationship. He'd always assumed she was just really picky with the guys she dated. Had she ever been in a relationship before? Of course, she's Pyrrha Nikos! Jaune thought about the only relationship he had in his life, if you could even call it that. It was just puppy love with some girl back when he was around 6 or 7. Even if by some miracle she did end up with him, Jaune didn't have any practice, he had no clue what couples were like.

Was he just fooling himself? Was he even ready to be in a relationship? Jaune speculated probably around six million different scenarios of how he would propose going steady to Pyrrha during their walk to the cafeteria. His least favorite way that he thought of was the possibility that they'd kiss only once in their lifetime before either he or Pyrrha was killed or left forever. A one time thing. Worse than never, by far in Jaune's mind. If nothing ever happened with her, at least he wouldn't have known that this entire time he could've done something about it. If they simply kissed once and one of them left forever, he'd always know that he wasted so many days, and months and years that he could've been together with her. That thought killed him on the inside, so he tried his best to not think of that situation.

But not everything goes the way you plan.

 **-Ideas are always appreciated! Thanks for reading (And sorry for the emotion roller coaster at the end.)-**


	7. Pictures

"Sweet, I got mail!" Jaune exclaimed as he held up the package triumphantly. "It's about time, only took my family ten months to send me my things." He said a little less confidently. He stepped out of the crowd who were all trying to retrieve their mail. He set it down on the table and began to open the packaging.

"Did you get anything good?" Pyrrha asked, who was already sitting down. She peered over his shoulder to look inside the box, which seemed to be a thick, leather book with Jaune's name inscribed on the front, in pink cursive. Pyrrha, like anyone else, was confused. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure..." Jaune said as he took the book out of the box. No one in team RWBY or team JNPR got mail except for Jaune, so the seven of them all leaned in close to see what he got.

Ren scoffed lightly, "I hope it's got money inside. You still owe me for the time you set my pants on fire - as well as my cash." Ren eyed Jaune, who made himself smaller.

"Sorry about that... Uh, anyway, let's see what it is. It's not what I asked for." Jaune flipped the book open to its first page. It was three simple lines.

"Jaune Arc, My Loving Son, Ages Four to Ten." He instantly closed the book. "There's no need to progress past this point. It's just some crummy old baby photos of me." Jaune tried putting it back into the box, but was stopped by Yang.

Yang grabbed the book from his possession, "Jaune, I'll pay Ren back for you just to see these." Yang grinned evilly as she tossed the correct amount of money at Ren, who took it happily.

"Dinner and a show tonight? How can I refuse?" Ren added, just as eager to see it.

"I agree," Pyrrha commented. "Seeing Jaune as a kid would definitely make my night."

Jaune tried to hide his blush, and grabbed the edge of the book to try and take it back. "C'mon guys, there's no need for that! I'll be made fun of for the rest of my life! Please, do _not_ open that boo-!" But Jaune was too late. Yang had already flipped through the first few pages and began laughing hysterically.

"Oh my god, Jaune!" She tried talking between laughs. "What's up with your outfits?!" Pyrrha, Ren and Nora had moved to the other side of the table to look at the pictures. All of them were cracking up at whatever picture they were looking at. Of course the only laugh he payed attention to was Pyrrha's, the most innocent, who now had a hand over her mouth to try and be polite to Jaune.

"It's... definitely a unique sense of style." Pyrrha giggled. Jaune decided to go around to see what all the fuss was about. The picture they were currently on was Jaune, maybe six or seven, in a dress with his hair in a short ponytail. He had a basket of red roses and behind him, was his family laughing. Jaune appeared to be the happiest kid in the world.

Blake chuckled lightly, "Did you always dress like that Jaune?"

"My mom really wanted a girl!" Jaune exclaimed, frustrated slightly and embarrassed out of his mind. Nora put an arm around him while chuckling.

"Oh Jaune, I now have enough blackmail to make you do the laundry every day for the rest of your life." She grinned maniacally. They continued to flip through the book, and as they kept on going, Jaune got more and more embarrassed and Pyrrha just fell more and more in love. She was his polar opposite; funny, odd, unorthodox, charming... Pyrrha always thought her life was bland and repetitive. Jaune's seemed so much more interesting, he hadn't been through vigorous training and corrections classes. He was completely himself, while Pyrrha thought she was just a mold. Something others wanted her to be. She loved being around Jaune simply because she could be herself without him even noticing a difference.

The pictures just kept getting worse as they went on. Yang nearly passed out from laughing so hard and Pyrrha smiled, taking the book from Yang eventually. She looked into the book and did something sneaky before closing it again. "Alright, we've laughed at Jaune's misery enough for one day. We'll give it a break for now." She handed the book back to Jaune, who took it and held it tight.

"I'm making sure to burn this thing, so you won't have any proof this ever existed!" Jaune stated, running off. The others all whined that Pyrrha had given up their fun but eventually moved on from it. Pyrrha shook her head gently and began her walk back to their dorm room. Just before she opened the door though, she pulled out her favorite picture from the book that she snuck it out of, glancing down at the little blond boy in a tiara and princess dress. She giggled to herself before shoving it back into her pocket, opening the door and Joining Jaune for a few minutes before Ren and Nora would eventually come up.


	8. Fights and Makeups

Ruby looked down at her plate as she ate quietly, trying to avoid being caught in the feud going down on the other side of the table. Yang watched intensely, almost fascinated with the argument. Blake and Weiss listened in on the fight but continued eating, trying to look they they weren't paying attention. Ren and Nora hated to see Pyrrha and Jaune fight. It didn't happen often and it was usually over stupid things that didn't matter. Most of them ended with Pyrrha winning, but Jaune was always giving all of his effort into the argument. When they fought, everyone had a bad day. No one understood how much Pyrrha and Jaune spark up their conversations until they're at each others throats.

"I don't care, Pyrrha! I'm the captain and my decision is final!" Jaune crossed his arms and turned away to show that he was through arguing. Pyrrha scoffed at his words and put her hands on her hips.

"Leader? Ozpin was taking pity on you!" Jaune frowned slightly but didn't budge. She'd never replied with a comment like that before. She stayed clear of the fact that Jaune had fake manuscripts to the school, he wasn't actually supposed to be there. Pyrrha was being especially harsh today for some reason. "We all know that you're the worst fighter in the school!" Jaune winced slightly, knowing it was true. "In fact, I'm pretty sure you're the worst fighter in the entire world! You're a better farmer than you are an Arc, which you're so proud of being apart of." Pyrrha said angrily to Jaune, who now turned back to face her. The entire cafeteria was completely silent. Most had their jaws dropped and raised eyes.

"Oh my gosh, she didn't just say that..." Nora said under her breath. Pyrrha was still fuming from anger, her face red and her fist clenched. Jaune took a deep breath in and looked down.

"Maybe I should just leave then." Jaune stood up, and Pyrrha finally realized the impact of what she said. She knew that Jaune wanted more than anything to be like his ancestors, legendary warriors, and Pyrrha had just completely shattered his dreams. She raised a hand to her mouth.

"J-Jaune, I didn't mean-" But Jaune was already walking away, on the verge of tears. Being an Arc meant everything to Jaune. He felt like he let down his family. Everything she said was true. There's no denying that. Pyrrha tried to go after him, but was stopped by Ren. He had grabbed her wrist and kept her from following Jaune.

"Pyrrha," He said softly. "I think he might not want to see you for a while. Let him cool down before you talk to him. That was some pretty harsh stuff you said." Pyrrha looked at her feet before sitting back down, feeling like the most terrible person to ever live. Why did she say that? Jaune and her were complaining that Jaune should try using alternative weapons to see what he's good with, not just what was passed down to him. Of course, the topic soon changed to how Jaune fought, and then how much he sucks at fighting. Pyrrha hadn't intended on saying the last part, she had no clue why the words came to her. She would never say anything like that.

"Pyrrha, what's got you in such a bad mood?" Weiss asked as she finished her lunch. She looked concerned for Pyrrha, as well as everyone at the table. She looked down, and knew she couldn't tell them what was bothering her.

"It's nothing... I need to be by myself for a bit, excuse me." Pyrrha corrected herself and left the lunchroom, to which no one objected to. She decided to get some fresh air on the balcony that Jaune and her practiced on in the evenings. When she got up there and opened the doors, she was shocked at what she saw. "Jaune!" She ran towards him, who was leaning over the railing and looking down at the drop. He looked back at Pyrrha, who quickly yanked him from the side of the balcony. "What are you thinking?!"

Jaune dusted himself off and sighed, "You were right. I'm a terrible fighter, even with your help. Ozpin's just being kind to me. In case you were wondering, no, I wasn't planning on falling off anytime soon. But I was going to leave Beacon and find another job to do. I'm not cut out to be one of the heroes, one of the warriors... I'm just not strong enough."

Pyrrha ran her hand through her hair, looking into Jaune's eyes. "I'm sorry Jaune, I didn't mean what I said down there. I was angry that you were being so uncooperative and harsh and... I hate fighting with you. You're an amazing person, and I couldn't imagine my life without you. Please, Jaune, don't go. You're an excellent fighter, you're still alive aren't you?" She tried to fix her mistakes. "I truly am sorry Jaune. Please, forgive me."

"I... I'm not sure." He replied. "I think I just need some time alone. That's all. I'll clear my head, get my anger out... I'll talk to you when I'm ready. But for now... please, I'd rather just be alone."

"...If that's what you want. I'll leave you alone." Jaune turned around and looked over the skyline, sighing heavily. But before she left, Pyrrha gave Jaune a hug from behind him. A true hug, not the half-hearted ones you get from distant relatives or acquaintances. A genuine hug. This surprised Jaune, especially since he didn't see it coming, but was glad she did. He blushed slightly and so did Pyrrha, glad the other couldn't see. She eventually let go and turned, leaving Jaune by himself on the balcony.

"Pyrrha..." He whispered to himself, clenching his fist. "Why can't I just tell you how I feel? I try, and try, but the words never come out..." He wondered to himself. Before he knew it, the sun had set and everyone had gone to sleep. He finally came back down to their dorm and got into his bed, looking over at Pyrrha. "Are you awake?" He asked quietly.

"Yes." Pyrrha replied after a pause. "I'll go to sleep now, so you can be alone." She offered, but was cut off by Jaune.

"I've already gotten over it, Pyrrha. Please, don't go. I'm sorry I'm such a jerk sometimes."

"I'm sorry for the things I've said to you, and I promise I will never say them again." Jaune rubbed his eyes and sighed, and decided if there was a time he could ever try this, now was the time. He slowly moved his hand out from under the blanket and reached out to Pyrrha, slowly taking her hand in his. They had separate beds, but they were close enough to reach other thankfully. She gasped lightly. She almost said something to ruin the moment, but decided if she stayed quiet, she might be able to hold his hand for longer. She smiled from ear to ear and gave his hand a light squeeze. They both faced away from each other, but their hands stayed connected even after she had fallen asleep.

At this point, Jaune wasn't sure if they could ever be considered friends anymore.. All that mattered was that he finally got to hold her hand. Whether they held hands as friends, as girlfriend and boyfriend... He didn't know. But he decided to wait for the morning to find out.


	9. More Than Friends, Part One

This was the end.

Pyrrha used her shield to deflect her opponents attack, but he swept her feet out from under her. She fell to the ground but immediately got back up. Pyrrha dodged to the left, jabbed at his right, which cut through the side of his fabric. It left a small cut, but he instantly returned the attack with a punch to her face. She felt dizzy after the hit and stumbled back, but raised her sword in time to block the enemy's attack. They held their swords together, and soon Pyrrha was drained completely of energy. Slowly, the man overpowered her and she had to drop to her knees, the man forcing his blade down onto hers. Was this it? Was it truly the rapture for her?

The man, feeling her power drain, pushed down with all of his might before pulling his sword away and bringing it back down onto her. Pyrrha collapsed to the ground, motionless. The victor stood, sweat and blood covering him, head held high. "It's about time," He said,slowly stepping forward and holding his blade above her throat. "Give up and make this easy for both of us."

Pyrrha, who was trying her hardest to think of a way out of it, decided it was no use. She had failed. "I... I give up. Good job, Jaune." He grinned down at her and put away his sword, offering a hand to her. She gently took his hand and Jaune helped her up. She dusted herself off and smiled up at Jaune. "I think you might actually have beaten me, Mr. Arc."

"Couldn't have done it without you, Mrs. Arc."

"Huh?" She asked, slightly confused. It took Jaune a moment to realize his mistake but when he did, Jaune blushed deeply.

"I-I meant, Mrs. Nikos." He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous chuckle. That got him thinking... Mrs. Pyrrha Arc... Jaune thought it had a nice ring to it. He kept the name playing in his mind over and over until Pyrrha brought him back to reality.

"Well, it was definitely a good fight. Congratulations Jaune, you've officially beaten me."

"What do I win?" He asked with a smile.

"How about a free dinner in your favorite food court?"

Jaune gasped, "You mean Nick's?!" He asked excitedly. Pyrrha knew how much he loved Nick's, down in Vale. It was a nice outdoor restaurant wedged between a clothing store and a furniture store. Jaune talked about going there a lot, but he never had the money to go. So, Pyrrha decided this would be a nice way to get him what he wanted. And, of course, give her some alone time with Jaune. Just the two of them eating, instead of the constant chatting at their cafeteria table.

Pyrrha giggled lightly, "Yes, Nick's. How about we go there tomorrow night?" Jaune grinned and nodded anxiously. "Then it's a date." She gave one last smile before walking away from the balcony, blushing the whole time. Pyrrha tried thinking about what she should wear. She wasn't a big fashionista, but she knew that it meant something on dates, even if it was with a friend. Nick's wasn't a fancy restaurant but it was more than casual. It was the kind of place rich dads took their privileged children when he wants to get to know them. Soups, sandwiches, pizzas... normal food made to perfection. Something clicked in her brain and she knew exactly what to wear.

Meanwhile, Jaune contemplated the exact same thing on the balcony. "D-date?" He said to himself just as she got out of earshot. "Holy crap... What am I going to wear... What am I going to say? She's taking me to Nick's, I can't just bring up our usual conversations..." He thought to himself and decided that he hadn't worn a very nice set of clothes he had in his closet for a while. It should be suitable for Nick's.

When Pyrrha got into her room, Nora was sitting at her desk writing something down. It had 'Master Plan' written at the top, but Pyrrha decided not to judge. "Where's Ren?" She asked.

"He's helping Ruby with something I think. Where's Jaune?"

"Still on the roof, we got done training only a few minutes ago..." Pyrrha decided that she had to tell someone, and Nora was the best candidate. "I asked him to go on a date with me to Nick's Restaurant and he agreed!" She said enthusiastically, not caring about the fact she was actually letting her true emotions shine through her battle-tested moral.

Nora's eyes widened, "No way! That is SO adorable!" She replied. "It's finally happening!"

"I know! It's fantastic, I can't believe we're actually going on a date." Pyrrha looked into her closet and brought out one of her casual outfits, going to the corner to change.

"Wait, as friends or as...?"

"I'm not sure, we didn't specify that part." She got into a dark red blouse and white dress pants. She decided to keep on her headpiece, it was something she never took off. She decided, though, to finish it off with undoing her ponytail and letting her hair down. She rarely did this, she loved having her hair in a ponytail. It was convenient and didn't get in the way. But she decided it was something new for Jaune to look at. "What do you think?"

Nora turned around to look at Pyrrha and stood up, gasping. "Pyrrha, if Jaune doesn't fall for you in that, I think he might truly be homosexual." She joked with a grin. "You look fantastic. Now take it off before Jaune sees, keep it a surprise. He'll love it!" Pyrrha nodded and quickly changed into her night clothes.

"I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight, to try and contain my excitement." She closed her eyes with a smile, slowly falling asleep just before Jaune arrived. Nora gave him an evil grin as he did the same, and Nora went back to her paper.

"I guess I can cross that off the list." She smiled and drew a line through the first sentence on the list.

Step One; Get Them To Fall In Love.


	10. More Than Friends, Part Two

Jaune checked his outfit in his mirror one more time to make sure he looked good for his date with Pyrrha. He wore a simple black t-shirt with his family crest on the breast breast pocket, his normal ripped up jeans and shoes. "But what if Pyrrha shows up all fancy and elegant and I look like... this?" Jaune asked Ren, who wasn't interested in his dilemma at all.

"You're fine, you look good in anything." He flipped the page to his book. Jaune sighed, knowing h was alone in his problem.

"Well, looks like I have no choice... I'll tell you all about it when I get back." Jaune said as he left the dorm room.

"Can't wait to hear about it," Ren replied, thankful he could read his book in peace.

"But what if he wants to go on this date as friends?" Pyrrha questioned Nora, who was helping her in the ladies bathroom just down the hall from where Jaune had just left.

"You'll be fine! I'm telling you, greet him with a hug! Hugs are friendly and romantic at the same time, you can't mess it up! Just sit there waiting for Jaune and when he shows up, just say 'Hey Jaune, I didn't see you there' and give him a hug. It isn't rocket science silly goose." Pyrrha nodded in her response.

"I guess you're right... Thank you, Nora. I've got to go, it's almost six." She waved to Nora and left the ladies room.

"You better tell me all about it when you're done!" Nora exclaimed as Pyrrha left. She sighed and began cleaning up the makeup kit she had brought out.

Jaune decided to take a detour to the flower shop to get roses for Pyrrha. He guessed they were her favorite since she stopped to look at them whenever they took walks in the garden. Jaune contemplated if he was being too romantic with the roses, but decided they could be used in a friend or a dating situation. This gave Pyrrha time to arrive at Nick's before him.

When Pyrrha sat down at one of the tables, a tall and obese man set down a menu in front of her. "Table for one again, I presume?" The man asked, who had curly black hair and a chefs hat on. He had an odd looking mustache that made Pyrrha think he had a dead rat on his lip.

"No, I actually got Jaune to come with me." Pyrrha told Nick with a smile, not able to hide it anymore.

"How many times have you eaten here by yourself and said Jaune was coming? Something always comes up. Something always gets in the way. I will give you two menus for now, but if he ins't here tonight, you can say goodbye to your trustful customer discount." Nick set down another menu and left to the restaurant. This got Pyrrha thinking. She invited him many times to go to Nick's, but he always seemed to have something to do at the time. Did he not like being seen in public with her? Was he just shy? She didn't know. But, she hoped Jaune would show up that night more than the others.

She almost lost hope in the date when Jaune tapped her shoulder from behind. "Um, excuse me miss, but have you seen a tall, red haired woman?" He asked jokingly, as Pyrrha turned around.

"I think you found her, Jaune." Pyrrha giggled lightly, noticing the roses in his hand and blushing slightly.

"Oh, no no no. You couldn't possibly be her! She always wears battle armor wherever she goes and always has a ponytail. You can't fool me." He smiled, and Pyrrha decided now was a good time to stand and wrap her arms around his neck.

"I'm glad you could make it. Are those for me?" Pyrrha asked as she pulled away, looking down at the roses.

"Yeah, they are. I wasn't sure if it'd be overkill if I got a full bouquet so I got the single rose." He held out the flower and Pyrrha took it from his hand gently.

"It's lovely Jaune. Please, sit down." She motioned to the other chair to which Jaune took it, sitting down and examining the menu.

"I didn't keep you waiting too long did I?" He asked as he looked over the dishes.

"Only an hour." She said smiling over the top of her menu at him.

Jaune frowned, "I'm sorry, I had to go to the flora shop and get the flowers and then someone called the cops on me."

"Wait, what? Why?" Pyrrha asked, confused. Jaune pulled a piece of lettuce out of his hair and tossed it aside.

"I think that's a story for another time." He grinned, and decided on what he wanted. "The shrimp linguine sounds good to me."

"Are you sure? I hear they give you a lot of noodles with it."

"Are you saying that I couldn't finish a simple plate of noodles? Pyrrha, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore with you doubting me like this." He joked and set down his menu.

"I bet you couldn't even finish half of it." Pyrrha smiled mischievously at Jaune who returned the smug grin.

"It's a bet. Loser hast to wear the winners armor for an entire day."

"Deal." Pyrrha let out a small giggle at the thought of Jaune in her armor, extending her hand and shaking Jaune's to seal the deal. Nick finally come over to their table after a few more minutes of talking and stared at Jaune with wide eyes.

"I almost began to think that you didn't exist! Welcome my boy to Nick's Restaurant! What would you and your date like this evening?" Jaune looked over at Pyrrha who was blushing just like he was, and he placed his order.

"Shrimp linguine for me."

"Are you sure you can finish that?" Nick asked. "We have very large portio-"

"You don't think I could finish it either? Unbelievable." Jaune rolled his eyes which just made Pyrrha laugh.

"I'll have the usual," Pyrrha said as she handed her menu to Nick who took it gracefully.

"Coming right up." He left the two of them to chat over their glasses of water and a romantic candle at the center of their table.

What was expected to be a normal evening dinner, that was meant to last no longer than 9 PM, ended up going on longer than the entire night. Pyrrha and Jaune opened the door to their dorm with their clothes covered in soot and Pyrrha's hair still smoking. They both had their clothes torn up, and Pyrrha had to hold up the shoulder part of her shirt to keep it from falling off of her body.

Ren and Nora were on their beds, talking about how much trouble Pyrrha and Jaune would be in if the small likelihood that Pyrrha got pregnant just to pass the time. "It's about time! I thought this was supposed to only be a few hours, not the whole night!" Nora exclaimed, standing up. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves."

"Relax, Nora. We didn't do anything bad. We just... ran into some unexpected things during dinner." Nora and Ren eyed each other.

"What happened, exactly?" Ren asked, to which Jaune sat down on the edge of his bed and took a deep breath, flash-backing to late last night.


	11. More Than Friends, Part Three

"-No, I'm completely serious!" Jaune sid as he laughed with Pyrrha. "The guy gives me the plate and goes, 'That'll be seventy six dollars sir,' And you know me, I can barely afford dry cleaning, so i grab what's left of my sandwich and run with it, and I swear the guy chases me for three miles!" Jaune was mentally giving himself a high five for being able to make Pyrrha laugh at his story. They had been waiting for their food to arrive and Pyrrha asked how Jaune found out about Nick's being so good. It was a true story; Nick chased him trying to get him to pay for his food. Jaune's just glad that Nick didn't seem to recognize him. Until he had shrimp linguine spilled all over him.

"It's you!" Nick yelled furiously, making sure not to break the plate over Jaune's head. Nick wouldn't do this under normal circumstances, but he hated Jaune after he bought the most expensive meal in the restaurant and didn't pay. Jaune frowned as he tried wiping the linguine out of his eyes while Pyrrha just gasped.

"Okay, maybe I deserved that..." Jaune popped a shrimp into his mouth. "The food is still great though Nick!" This made him furious and he smashed the plate down onto his head.

"I hope you plan to pay for your meals this time, as well as your previous meals at this establishment!" Pyrrha frowned.

"Um, yes, sir..." Pyrrha didn't know what to think of the situation. Jaune did definitely deserve it, but on the other hand it was poor worth ethic. She would've contemplated further, but she could see behind Nick and Jaune berating each other that the restaurant was getting robbed. A tall man with dark hair and a cape held out his sword to the girl in the front, who was handing money over to the guy."Nick!" Pyrrha tried to warn him.

"I am talking right now Mrs. Un-loyal customer!" Nick said before going back to his conversation.

"Nick, seriously someone's trying to-" She groaned and stood up, realizing he wasn't listening to her. She didn't bring her weapons with her, so she decided to go with the element of surprise. She went up to the robber and tapped his shoulder, "Excuse me sir, I think you should put away the weapon." She asked sweetly.

The man turned around and put away the bottle of liquor he had in his other hand, and waved the weapon in Pyrrha's face. "I'll do what I want, and if I were you, I wouldn't get too close." He said in a scruffy, deep voice. Pyrrha clenched her fist.

"I'm sorry, I'll just leave then-" She quickly brought her hand up and pushed the blade out of the way, hitting the man in the gut and sending him into the cash register. She got into a stance and prepared for the man to retaliate. "What's your name?" Pyrrha demanded, to which the man replied with a swing of his sword, which now turned into a scythe. It reminded her a lot of Ruby's weapon, just different colors. Pyrrha ducked and jumped back, grunting as she dodged his scythe.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune stood up after noticing what was happening.

"My cash register!" Nick's eyes widened at the sight of his beloved money holding machine, which now had a dent in it from where the man hit his head. Jaune ran towards Pyrrha and the stranger, hoping to be able to help somehow.

"Lookout!" Pyrrha rolled backwards to dodge the blade, but Jaune wasn't quick enough. The blade cut through his shirt and grazed along his chest, causing Jaune to flip over in the direction he was hit and fell to the ground, groaning.

"You kids never learn! There are no such things as heroes, just people who get others killed!" The stranger kicked Jaune in the gut and sent him into a nearby table. Pyrrha grimaced and used her polarity to lift up the metal table, throwing the outdoor set at the robber. He managed to dodge two of the chairs, but faltered when the table came at him .It hit the guy square in the chest and he was knocked to the ground. Pyrrha used her polarity to dismember a chair and used the leg as a sword.

When the guy got back up, they battle in a shower of sparks as the guy slowly began to wear down to Pyrrha's attacks. But, the guy managed to get a fatal blow on Pyrrha by swiping out her feet with the edge of his scythe and brought down his blade onto Pyrrha. She would've been hospitalized for weeks, and maybe never recover if Jaune hadn't been there.

The scythe hit Jaune's makeshift shield (Which was just the round table top,) And Jaune shifted his weight to overpower the robber. _Keep a lower center of gravity_ , Pyrrha's voice rang in his mind. Jaune lowered himself before thrusting forward, hitting the guy in the jaw with the edge of the table. He stumbled back and Jaune lowered the shield, twisting around and grabbing the scythe's handle. He yanked it from the guys hands and twisted it around and started to dance the blade across the man's skin. He cut through every attempt to block until eventually, the man crippled to the ground. Jaune held the blade to the robbers neck triumphantly. He turned his head to look back at Pyrrha.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Pyrrha got up to her knees, her shirt cut at the shoulder. The shirt was hanging off her body and her red bra underneath was visible. When she regained her senses, Pyrrha held up the shirt to keep from flashing the public.

"I'm fine, Jaune." She said with some difficulty. When Jaune looked back down at the man, he had stood back up without Jaune knowing and headbutted Jaune. He stumbled back, and the robber jumped into the air and drove the blade into the ground between Pyrrha and Jaune. A large explosion filled the road, and when the smoke cleared, the man was no where in sight. Pyrrha and Jaune were now smoking, with their clothes and skin black from soot and singed.

Jaune sat up slowly and coughed out soot and soon Pyrrha did the same. It didn't take long for paramedics to arrive. They took Jaune and Pyrrha to the hospital in town, and they tried their best to clean themselves up while there. They stayed the night at the hospital, next to each other in separate beds on other sides of the room.

"So... Red really _is_ your color, huh?" Jaune asked to break the tension.

"Oh, be quiet." Pyrrha blushed and looked over at him. "It could've been a lot worse if you weren't there, thank you..." She looked down at her hands.

"Don't mention it, he was a skilled fighter. Who was he?"

"I'm not sure, but maybe he's related to Ruby somehow. They had similar weapons."

"I agree." Jaune scratched his head.

"Jaune, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"What are we?"

'Humans. Unless there's something you're not telling me."

"I didn't mean that." She looked over at Jaune. "What are we? Are we friends, more than friends, together...?" Jaune didn't know how to answer. He wanted so bad to say the last answer. He didn't know why he didn't say it. He sat there, motionless as he contemplated. If he was going to get together with Pyrrha, he wanted it to be special. Like, surprise her wit a romantic date, have everything go smoothly, and finish it off with an amazing kiss. He knew that was his next goal; the perfect date with Pyrrha. But he wanted it to be special. Something that she didn't need to ask, something that they both just... knew. He didn't care if his logic didn't make any sense. He was going to ask her out eventually; but now wasn't the time, he thought.

"More than friends," He told her. This still brought a smile to her face, knowing that they were something more.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked quietly. "I'd like to do this again."

"What about next week? We could try getting Nora and Ren to make another picnic?" Jaune suggested.

"Sounds lovely."

"Then it's a date." Jaune said, a little more confidently.

"-And, that brings us here." Jaune said to Ren and Nora, who were listening intently.

"What kind of stupid answer is that? 'More Than Friends?' That's ridiculous and you both know it!" Nora began to go on a rant about why they were the two most annoying students at Beacon Academy. Jaune looked back at Pyrrha who was smiling, giving Jaune quick wink. Jaune shook his head with a smile, looking back at Nora, but wasn't listening. He was only thinking about Pyrrha.

More than friends, he thought.


	12. The Arkos Dilemma, Part One

Pyrrha slowly rose from her bed early one morning. She scratched her head and yawned as she got up, then realized her hand was larger, and more hairy. She frowned slightly at the odd change in appearance. Had she just not noticed how big her hand was? Pyrrha rubbed her eyes and decided she was just seeing things, since she had just woken up. When she pulled the blankets off, she looked down at a set of clothing that wasn't hers... but Jaune's. She was in Jaune's bed. She had on Jaune's clothes. When she gasped, she made the same high-pitched gasp that Jaune would make. Her eyes widened and looked over at her bed, which she was turned over in. Pyrrha quickly jumped up and ran to the bathroom. When she looked in the mirror, she saw Jaune staring back at her.

"What?!" She questioned, which startled some of the girls in the bathroom. When they came out of the stalls, they screamed and called her a creep before running out of the bathroom. She looked back in the mirror and realized she looked like a guy, and was in the girls bathroom. "No, I'm... I'm a girl! It's me, Pyrrha!" She tried to fix it, but they had already left. Pyrrha decided it would be a good idea to leave the bathroom before she got in any more trouble.

Pyrrha heard her own voice scream from her room, and she darted down the hallway towards the dorm. When she opened the door, Pyrrha was standing up and looking down at her body. She twirled around before exclaiming, "Why do I have breasts?!"

Pyrrha ran up to Pyrrha, and looked her up and down. "J-Jaune?" She asked, before looking down at her own body and finally making the connection, no matter how little sense it made.

"Pyrrha? You're me! And... And I'm you...?" Pyrrha looked back down at her hands. "How did this happen?"

"I have no clue... I woke up and I was like this. Where's Nora and Ren?" She asked. This was confusing Pyrrha, since she was staring at herself. "Maybe they can help us figure out what happened." As she finished her sentence, the two of them entered the room holding a conversation about fighting giant chickens.

"Ren!" Jaune said, running up to him. "Who am I?"

"You're... Pyrrha...?" Ren looked at him questioningly. "Are you two okay? You both look worried." Pyrrha and Jaune exchanged looks.

"Look..." Pyrrha said. "We have to tell you something that might sound... odd... it's even odd to us. We don't understand how or why this happened."

Nora gasped, "You've got a disease that causes accelerated aging so you have to marry at seventeen?"

"N-no, Nora. That's not what it is... Look, I'm Pyrrha," She said, which confused Ren and Nora.

"And I'm Jane," He said himself, which looked odd for Pyrrha to say that she was Jaune and vise versa.

"You mean like... You switched bodies?" Nora asked.

"More or less." She said, exchanging looks with Jaune again.

"You haven't seen yourselves... naked have you?" Ren questioned.

"Ew, no!" Pyrrha and Jaune said and blushed deeply. Ren eyed Jaune like he didn't believe him.

"Well, anyway, have you told anyone else? I'm sure Ozpin or Goodwitch have an answer." Nora looked between them, still not comprehending the whole thing. Pyrrha in Jaune's body and Jaune in Pyrrha's body... It was hard to believe, since it wasn't something that happened often. It never happened at all. So, what was going on?

"We'll go ask around," Jaune nodded. "Thanks for the suggestion. C'mon, let's go Pyrrha."Jaune motioned to go out the door.

"In our pajamas?" Pyrrha questioned.

"I promise I won't look if you don't."

"Deal." They grabbed the others clothes and went to separate corners of the room, changing facing away from each other. They tried their best not to look down, Ren and Nora keeping an eye on them just to be sure. Pyrrha had no problem putting on Jaune's outfit, since it was just a simple hoodie, jeans and armor plates. But when she turned around, she hadn't realized how confusing her armor must be. Jaune had the left leg's armor in his left leg, the other leg on his arm, the headpiece was upside down and the neck piece was on his foot.

"I... think I might have gotten a bit confused." Jaune stated with a small, nervous chuckle. Pyrrha rolled her eyes with a small smile, coming over to Jaune and helping him with her armor. When it was all ready, They went off to find Professor Ozpin. As Jaune walked, he was having trouble getting accustomed to the added weight Pyrrha usually wore.

"How do you wear this thing all day? It's bulky and annoying." Jaune tried fixing a piece of the leg while he walked. The only difference that was noticeable between the two was the way they walked. Pyrrha swayed more when she walked and kept her feet close together, as if walking on a tightrope, which made Jaune look like he was being especially feminist today. Jaune walked with more of a stride and always misjudged how he would land his feet on the ground, Since Pyrrha usually wore kind of high-heeled boots.

"I got used to it," Pyrrha shrugged. "We shou-"

"Pyrrha!" Weiss called from a distance. She began walking towards them, and Jaune panicked.

"I don't know how to pretend to be you!" Jaune whisper-shouted to Pyrrha. "Help me!"

"Just don't break character!" She told him. When Ruby arrived, she waved to Jaune and Pyrrha waved back with a small smile.

"How's it going Pyrrha?"

"Oh, y'know... Just... Being a girl, and... things." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous laugh.

"Oooookay," Weiss ignored how odd Jaune was acting. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"What do you need help with?" Pyrrha offered to try and get Jaune out of the situation.

"I would tell you Jaune, but sorry. Girl problems." She grabbed Jaune's wrist and pulled him away, with him looking back at Pyrrha and mouthing the words 'help me.'

Oh boy, Pyrrha thought.


	13. The Arkos Dilemma, Part Two

"I don't understand how you can bear to be around Jaune all day. It'd annoy me to the point of putting tape over his mouth just to shut him up." Weiss told Pyrrha, who was actually Jaune. They had somehow switched bodies over night and now, Weiss was telling Jaune all about how annoying he was, without even knowing it was really Jaune.

"Uh... Yeah, But he's got such dreamy eyes?" Jaune tried talking like Pyrrha did. "He is very dreamy to me. Have I, uh, told you anything about Jaune? Have I ever said my feelings for him?"

"Only a billion times!" Weiss complained. "I don't understand what you see in him."

"Oh, so I see something in me, huh?" Jaune asked himself quietly.

"What was that?"

"Oh, n-nothing, Weiss. Just thinking out loud." Jaune tried to imitate Pyrrha's adorable chuckle, but by the odd look on Weiss' face he knew he didn't pull it off well.

"Anyway... I was wondering if I could have some help with something. You see, I have this... thing, for Neptune. He's sweet, and amazing, and not to mention cool... I want to spend more time with him but I don't want to drive him away by being too clingy. Do you have any suggestions? Any advice helps."

"Why don't you... uh... get him flowers? And sing him a song while playing guitar? Y'know, maybe like, actually talk to him about things that are important, like things he likes and dislikes, and what he wan't to do with his life, and how he's been. That sorta stuff."

"Pyrrha, that sounds exactly like how you described your perfect first-kiss moment with Jaune. The only thing you didn't add was the 'at sunset' part." Jaune thought about what Weiss was explaining. Okay, he just needed to remember that Pyrrha likes songs, and flowers and being talked to at sunset, and she'll be putty in his hands. Assuming he'll ever be able to return to his normal body, that is.

"Well, it never hurts to try, right?"

"I guess you're right... How should I act? I know being myself would probably ruin my chances so-"

"Weiss, you can't get it wrong if it's the truth." Jaune used the same line Pyrrha had told him a long time ago. It was true; how could you mess up your lines if you're speaking from the heart?

"I... guess you're right. Thanks, Pyrrha. Enjoy your time with tall, blonde and scraggly over there." Weiss gave a smirk before leaving in the direction of the dorm rooms. Pyrrha, seeing Weiss walk away from Jaune, decided to join back up with him.

"What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just helping out two young lovers fall for each other, the usual." Jaune smiled down at Pyrrha, who responded with her own.

"It's odd seeing myself smiling back at me." Pyrrha commented as they walked towards Ozpin's office.

"At least you get to see something prett-" Jaune stopped himself and continued to stride forward and pretend like he hadn't said that. Pyrrha looked down at Jaune, blushing slightly. Did he really just say that? Did he just call her pretty? The thought brought butterflies to Pyrrha's stomach. The made their way up the clock tower, and the elevator doors opened with a creek. Out stepped Jaune and Pyrrha, which caused Professor Goodwitch and Ozpin to look at them.

"Is this urgent? We're in the middle of something important." Goodwitch said, slightly agitated.

"Calm down, Glenda. I'm sure whatever it is, is worth the visit." Ozpin took a sip of his mug and set it down. "What brings you two up here today?"

"It's... something odd." Pyrrha said, stepping forward. "I'm Pyrrha, and somehow, I got stuck in Jaune's body. And the same thing happened with him." Goodwitch and Ozpin exchanged looks.

"You mean... You switched bodies?"

"Yes, sir."

"You didn't look at each others-"

"No, why does everyone ask that?" Jaune cut in, stepping forward.

'Just a precaution. So... We have two students, who seem to have switched their consciousnesses with each other. There are very rare dust products that can do this. They're very expensive, and hard to find. So, for some reason, someone decided that you two switching bodies would be beneficial in some way." Ozpin picked up his mug and took another sip.

"So, what should we do?" Jaune asked. "we're not going to get experimented on, are we?"

"Of course not, Pyrrh- I mean, Jaune. It'll wear off in a day or two and you'll be back to normal, no problem."

Pyrrha exchanged looks with Jaune. "So, what do you suggest?"

"What do I suggest?" Ozpin chuckled quietly. "I'd say, have some fun with it while it lasts. Mess with people's heads, wear each other's clothes, get people confused. It isn't every day you get to switch bodies with someone else."

Goodwitch cleared her throat. "And of course, I'd hope neither of you have to... use the lavatory anytime soon." She went back to her conversation with Ozpin, dismissing them.

When They stepped outside and walked around a bit, Pyrrha piped up. "Have some fun. What could we possibly do?" Jaune took his time thinking, but when he got an idea, he knew it was perfect.

"C'mon, I know exactly what we need to do." Jaune grabbed Pyrrha's hand and led her towards the cafeteria.


	14. The Arkos Dilemma, Part Three

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" Jaune exclaimed as he pulled Pyrrha along with him. He was getting better at walking in Pyrrha's shoes, while Pyrrha still felt awkward wearing such loose clothing. She was used to constantly wearing armor that kept her breathing short. It wasn't enough to affect her breathing, but it was still noticeable. Jaune felt just the opposite; he had no clue how Pyrrha managed to fight in her armor.

"Jaune, what exactly are we doing?" Pyrrha asked as they entered the cafeteria. It was now lunchtime and the hall was filled with hungry students. Jaune stopped, not to answer Pyrrha's question, but to look around for someone specific. When he spotted his target, Jaune smirked slightly and started walking again. Pyrrha finally realized what he was up to.

"Jaune went up to Cardin Winchester and tapped his shoulder. Cardin looked annoyed due to the disruption in his conversation, and when he turned around, Jaune yelled, "Boo!" In his face. Cardin, at the sight of Pyrrha's face, stumbled back with a grunt. He fell onto his tray and got food all over the back of his outfit. When Cardin sat up, Jaune realized something that made this ten times better; he had mashed potatoes with gravy on his plate, which left a brown mark on his pants.

"Did Cardin just... make a mess in his pants?" someone in the distance asked, which sparked a fit of laughter all across the cafeteria as they looked at Cardin. He was blushing deeply and trying to hide the brown stain.

"Oh, you're dead Nikos!" Cardin said, but it was hard for Jaune and Pyrrha to keep a straight face as Cardin tried to hide his butt from the crowd. He decided he should clean himself off before trying to start a fight with Pyrrha (Who, of course, was actually Jaune in her body). He ran off to the bathrooms to wash off his pants, with the rest of his team in tow. He was laughed at his whole way out and then some, before everyone slowly started going back to what they were doing before the accident.

"Jaune," Pyrrha said, still giggling at the series of events. "You just made me even more enemies with Cardin than I already was."

"I'm sorry, but I could never do that if I was in my body. I've been wanting to do something like that for a year now, ever since he messed with us... especially when he tried to make me turn on you. I couldn't get revenge until now." Jaune smiled up at Pyrrha, who couldn't stay mad at him.

"Fine, but now it's my turn." She grinned, and grabbed Jaune's hand. she led him out of the cafeteria and went towards the garden.

"Where are we going?" Jaune asked, slightly intrigued. "Please tell me you're not going to try and make a move on you wile i'm in you're body." He joked.

"Not exactly... but it's something along those lines." She grinned, stopping behind a bush and leaning down behind it. She looked over it with Jaune at Weiss, who was walking with Neptune slowly. They both looked slightly bored of whatever they were talking about.

"So, I'm guessing she didn't take my advice?" Jaune asked, slightly disappointed.

"I know exactly what to do," Pyrrha said, smirking. "Stay here." She stood up and grabbed a handful of dirt, walking towards Neptune and Weiss. She stepped in front of them, which caused them to stop.

"Oh, hey Jaune. What's up man?" Neptune asked, Weiss looking agitated at Jaune's presence. Pyrrha smirked slightly.

"Hello, Neptune. Did you know they're something on your shirt?" Neptune raised an eyebrow and looked down. Pyrrha grinned and tossed the dirt she had scooped up earlier onto his red sweater. It stained his shirt and Neptune recoiled.

"What was that for?!" He asked.

"Don't worry, I've got this." Weiss shooed Pyrrha away and faced Neptune, trying to wipe off the dirt. Pyrrha walked around Weiss, stood behind her, and pushed her into Neptune. She landed in an embrace with him, both of them shocked. Pyrrha grinned.

"Oh, would you look at that? I think Blue and White go together well." She grinned, winking at Weiss. She made a face at her, but silently thanked Pyrrha for helping her out. She turned back to Neptune, who smiled down at her.

"Are you okay, Weiss?" Neptune asked, helping her to her feet, but not letting go of her hand. Weiss, who was shocked slightly at the handhold, took a second to reply.

"I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I think this may have just made my day." She smiled up at him, and Neptune (Who was still bummed at the dirt on his shirt) began walking away, still holding hands with Weiss. As they walked away, talking about how odd Jaune was, Weiss turned her head and smiled at Jaune before going back to her conversation.

Jaune came up to Pyrrha, "What was all of that for?"

"Just helping out a friend who helped me, is all." She smiled, facing Jaune.

"Well now you made me look like a complete douche to everyone here, throwing dirt and pushing people."

"Well at least I didn't push the biggest bully in the school into a tray of gravy."

"Oh, my situation is way worse."

"Oh, please!" Pyrrha scoffed.

"I bet I can do worse things to you than you can do to mine." Jaune challenged, smiling slightly.

"Oh, you are so on." Pyrrha grinned back.

"Meet here at six?"

"Deal." They both shook hands before darting off in opposite directions, looking for opportunities to mess with each others lives.


	15. The Arkos Dilemma, Part Four

Pyrrha slowed to a walk as she got to their dorm room. She wiped off her brow before slowly opening the door. Inside was Ren, who was happily reading a book on his bed. The sun had started to set and she admired the different shades of red and orange through the window. But now wasn't the time for admiring. She stepped in, and Ren looked up from his book. "Hey, did you get your little... problem fixed yet?"

"We sure did," Pyrrha said, lying. "I'm just glad to finally have my body back."

"I am too. It's weird, thinking for a moment you had a-"

"Yeeaah, no need to go into specifics, I know what you mean." Pyrrha cut him off, stepping froward. "Ren, there's something I've gotta tell you. Something I've wanted to get off my chest since the day I met you." Pyrrha said over dramatically, trying to act as much like Jaune as possible. This made Ren look up from his book.

"And what is that, exactly?"

"I love you, Ren." She said, trying to hide her smile. "And I've always loved you."

'What?" Ren asked, slightly confused. "What about Pyrrha?" She looked at him for a moment, deciding to get some information.

"What about her?"

"Y'know, the whole, 'I'm totally head over heels for Pyrrha and nothing will get in the way of my feelings' thing you went over a few nights ago?" Pyrrha looked at Ren with wide eyes, screaming with joy inside. But on the outside, she remained calm and collected. There was a different time to ask questions about that.

"I realized there's something I've always wanted - your amazing body." Pyrrha giggled and advanced towards Ren. He started to look very uncomfortable; which Pyrrha was enjoying. She never really felt anything more than a friendship with Ren; but this was too priceless to pass up. She laid beside him on the bed, and he backed up from him.

"You're, uh, making me weirded out, Jaune. G-go talk to Pyrrha or something." Ren tried backing up further but hit a wall. Pyrrha stood up and pushed him against a wall.

"Oh, I intend to talk to her all about what happened here tonight." She grinned. Ren had a look of fear in his eyes, and Ren knew he wasn't going to like it when Pyrrha leaned in on him.

Meanwhile, Jaune stepped into the training room. He interrupted the ongoing fight between Blake and Sun, pushing them both away.

"Hey-!" Blake said, recoiling.

"It's my turn, go make out in the audience or something." Jaune said with a sweet smile, laughing at their expressions. Sun was going to retort, but Blake stopped him and pulled him off of the stage.

"Mrs. Nikos," Goodwitch said, shocked. "What're-"

"I want to weakest the strongest person here." Jaune said, looking around the group who was present for this class. It took a moment for a volunteer to come up - which it wasn't really a volunteer, more like a selected tribute by their peers - the class laughed. A new student at Beacon stood there, short and thin, barely able to hold up his weapon. He was shaking a the sight of Pyrrha, knowing she was one of the best fighters in the school.

"Awesome." Jaune said to himself. He charged the kid who closed his eyes in fear, sticking his sword out. Jaune decided to be extra dramatic; He tripped himself, stumbling past the kid. He ell to the ground and pretended that the boy had tripped him. He held his leg and wailed, pretending to be defeated by the boy who looked utterly shocked. The entire class gasped before breaking out in a fit of laughter.

"That kid totally wrecked Pyrrha!" Someone said which caused an uproar of praise for the kid. Everything was going well; until Jaune's image began to flicker. He looked at his hands, and realized he had turned back into himself. The dust must've worn off. And the others could tell.

"Is that Jaune down there?"

"No wonder he sucked!" They began laughing again, this time at Jaune himself. He groaned, knowing this was the worst possible moment for it to wear off. The whole class was now laughing at him, and word would spread that he was beaten by the weakest kid at Beacon. No one even seemed to care that he looked like Pyrrha for a moment. At least he knew Pyrrha probably wasn't in a better position.

And she wasn't. She didn't even realize she had transformed back into herself. She was advancing in on Ren, ready to make Jaune look like a fool before Nora opened the door.

"Get your own man!" She yelled, her eyes glaring at Pyrrha. She ran up to them, Pyrrha trying to explain what happened the whole time as Nora kicked Pyrrha out of the room. "Ren is Nora-only property!" She told her one last time before shutting the door. Pyrrha still giggled at the situation, until she heard Nora say, "She's finding somewhere else to sleep tonight!"

Ruby giggled as she shut the door to her room when Pyrrha left the hallway after being shut out of her own room. She turned to Yang, who was grinning from ear to ear. "I think it went better than expected." She said.

"Best thing dad's sent us since we got here." Ruby giggled, and they high fived for what they considered the best prank at Beacon that year so far.


	16. Goodbye, Pyrrha

Jaune held his head, staring down at the snowy ground. The light from the fire was the only thing keeping Jaune out of total darkness. It was dim, only a small flame flickering and waving in the harsh wind. He was sitting up with his elbows on his knees and his hands holding his head up, staring blankly at the fire. Nora, Ren, and Ruby were asleep all around the fire. Jaune was the only human awake for miles. He felt completely alone, but not because of the quietness.

Because Pyrrha wasn't with him.

The snow fell lazily from the sky and caked everything, the tents, the ground, Jaune's head and shoulders, everywhere except the immediate vicinity around the fire. Jaune couldn't feel anything, and he didn't know if it was because he was freezing or because he was completely destroyed inside. Pyrrha was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. What if he stayed? What if he told Pyrrha to keep running? He ran all of the possibilities in his head, and somehow, he managed to make all of the wrong choices. He was almost certain Pyrrha would follow his lead anywhere, so if he just... left, then maybe Pyrrha could still be alive. Maybe. It was a chance. Vale and Beacon still fell, they're both in ruins right now, so if Pyrrha had stayed or left, the outcome would've been the same.

Jaune balled his fist thinking about it. What was wrong with him? What was his problem? Why couldn't he have a normal life with normal people? Grimm, Cinder, Torchwick... They were all going to pay for what they did to Pyrrha. Jaune didn't care if he died trying. At least he'd be with Pyrrha again. _Next time we meet, it'll be forever_ , he kept saying in his head. _Next time..._

Jaune had to wipe his eyes to keep himself from breaking down into tears. If Jaune had just... realized what he should've done with Pyrrha sooner, maybe that could've changed something. But Jaune let her slip through his fingers. All he had to do was catch her. But now, it was too late. He hated that feeling. The feeling of not being together completely. Of coming together once, and never meet again. She was an ex. An ex-almost, an ex-something. And it was terrifying him that all he had to do was _talk with her._ He felt like he was the biggest screw-up in all of Beacon. In the entire world.

Jaune stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a picture, holding it in his hands and staring at the two faces in it. One face was his, being goofy as always. And to his right, was Pyrrha, who was laughing at Jaune being a complete dork. They were sitting close together on one of the garden benches Ren had taken the picture and gave it to him later on that day. Jaune folded the picture so only Pyrrha's face was visible. She was as beautiful as ever; her red hair shone in the sunlight and her face, completely perfect. Jaune began tearing up again, but didn't have the strength to stop himself this time. His cries were silent, the tears dripping down onto Pyrrha's face. He balled his fist again, crumpling the picture in the process.

Jaune stuffed the picture back into his pocket, watching the ground as his tears fell and dissolved the snow it fell on. He decided to go back into his tent, lay down on the cold blanket, and try to sleep, hoping he'd remember better moments with Pyrrha.


	17. Hello, Jaune

**Inspiration from mete-g artwork!**

Jaune walked by himself around the school grounds, looking for his faithful companion and friend. Pyrrha was by far Jaune's favorite person at Beacon. She was impressive in combat, level-headed, down to earth, beautiful... she was everything Jaune liked in a girl. He didn't spend his time with many other people besides Ren, but even when they were together it'd just be Jaune talking about Pyrrha. Ruby was also one of his close friends, but they never really talked. They were more of a pass-in-the-hallway-and-say-hello-on-your-way-to-class friends. He always thought he was intruding in Pyrrha's personal life with how much time he spent with her.

Jaune entered the cafeteria and sat down at his usual spot, with Yang, Weiss and Nora already sitting down and eating their dinner. "Hey!" They all greeted Jaune in their own tone of voice, with Nora being the most ecstatic and Weiss being the most monotone.

"Hey, have you guys seen Pyrrha anywhere? I haven't heard from her all day."

Yang finished what she was chewing before saying, "Last I saw her was this morning, just after breakfast. She was talking to some dark haired guy by the docks." Jaune frowned slightly, wondering who the guy was. Jaune never thought of himself as the jealous type, but always seemed to act that way around Pyrrha. Was he really falling for her? Was she truly who he wanted in life?

"I'll go search for her after dinner." Jaune decided.

"I'll go with you, maybe she knows where Ren is." Nora declared as she chewed on a pancake. Jaune was slightly worried as to why Pyrrha had been missing all day. He had searched the entire school upside down, and there was absolutely no sign of Pyrrha anywhere. Was she abducted? Was she killed and stuffed into a trashcan? Was she being forced to work for the enemy? Jaune's mind wondered through all the possibilities. He tended to do that a lot for someone who didn't think much.

After a particularly quiet and boring dinner, Jaune and Nora left the cafeteria together in search of Ren and Nora. They decided that checking the docks would be a good first place to look since that's where Pyrrha was last seen.

"So..." Nora said as she walked besides Jaune, the shortest and the tallest members of the team creating an odd contrast of height. "You seem pretty worried about Pyrrha."

Jaune blushed slightly, "And you seem pretty worried about Ren."

"Well yeah, Ren is like, super awesome! Not to mention he can make pancakes!"

"Good point," Ren made the best pancakes Jaune had ever had. It was almost sad to think that he might not be able to make breakfast tomorrow. They walked in silence, and just before they left Beacon to go to Vale, someone tapped Jaune's shoulder. He turned around and smiled, "Hey, Ren!"

"Hey, buddy." Ren waved, nodding to Nora who gave him a bear hug. Okay... really... tight..." Ren tried getting Nora off of him. "Anyway, there's someone in our dorm who you might want to see."

"Pyrrha?" Jaune guessed, and Ren responded with a nod.

"You can't imagine how much hair i've been through today." Ren sighed as he walked away with Nora in tow, talking about hairstyles. Jaune walked towards the dorms, eager to see Pyrrha after a long, boring day. The sun was setting and it was just above the horizon. It was beautiful, just like ever other day. When Jaune opened the door, something completely surprising caused his eyes to widen and his pupils to dilate. "P-Pyrrha?" He asked.

"Hello, Jaune." Pyrrha said back softly. She was standing in the room, with nothing abnormal about her from the neck down. She was in her usual battle armor and skirt-thing, with the red sash and all. But above her neck... was a whole new story. Pyrrha's hair was now out of a ponytail and cut to the length of the base of her neck. She looked completely different with the new hairstyle.

"What's with the new style? Midlife crisis?" He joked (but in hindsight, Jaune wished he never said that). Pyrrha giggled and shook her head.

"No... the guy I was afraid the guy I liked didn't notice me too much. So I was hoping this would help." Jaune's heart stopped. Did she like another guy? What did he have that Jaune didn't? And, who wouldn't notice her? She's the most gorgeous girl in the school! Maybe even in the whole world!

"Who is he?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, no one, it doesn't matter." She waved it off like it was nothing now, running a hand through her short hair.

"C'mon, tell me! Whoever it is, you deserve their attention." Pyrrha only giggled some more, loving the fact that Jaune was getting jealous over himself. Pyrrha found it cute.

"Trust me, I think he's well aware of me now." She smiled, putting a hand on Jaune's shoulder. And Jaune, the dumbfounded leader that he was, still had no clue who she was talking about.

"Okay... Well, I like the new style. I think it suits you well." He gave Pyrrha a grin, admiring all of the details in her face.

"Thank you, Jaune. It means a lot to me. Now, I'm starving, how about we go get something to eat?" Pyrrha held out her arm to take. "I hear this place called Nick's is really good this time of day. It has a beautiful view of the sunset." She joked, smiling from ear to ear as Jaune walked out of the room with her.

Jaune was finally noticing.


	18. If Only

Jaune slept happily in his bed, dreaming about a very special redhead like always. And, as always, that same redhead was the person who woke him up from his dreams. "Jaune, get up. I made your favorite." Her melodic voice rang through his slumber. "Jaaauuune it's time to wake up." Pyrrha shook Jaune's foot gently, and he rolled over. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the angel. The only thing she was missing was the halo above her head and the white fluffy wings. Her features looked more defined than normal, almost like she was more grown up. Her hair was in it's usual style, a ponytail that hung loosely from the back of her head. But she was wearing normal clothes. No, not her pajamas, a regular red shirt and white chinos.

"I'll be there in just a moment..." Jaune said tiredly, which startled himself. His voice was deeper, he sounded like an actual guy now. It was strange, it was almost like Jaune was dreaming about dreaming, and then woke up from his dream inside of his dream but wasn't actually awake himself, but he was awake inside of his dream in which he was currently dreaming in. (Confusing, right?) He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking back up at Pyrrha who hadn't moved.

"Good morning, Jaune." She reached down and planted a kiss on his head. Again, Jaune was completely confused, but he wasn't in control of his body. Was he dreaming? Jaune smiled up at her, tossing the blankets off of his legs and standing up, stretching in the process. He wasn't in their dorm room; he was in some small and cozy cabin with a low, angled roof and a cluttered mess all around him. Nick nacks from adventures, he guessed. There were two windows on either side of the room, filling it with a nice red glow. The sunrise was visible from one of the windows, and just under it tall, ominous trees with red and orange leaves. It must've been autumn."Oh, and there's a surprise waiting for you downstairs." She winked mischievously at Jaune before leaving through the door into the dim hallway.

Jaune took one last look at the now empty bed, where two people were obviously sleeping before. One being him, and the other... Pyrrha, maybe? If this was a dream, Jaune was liking it. When he left the room, he noticed that the house wasn't large at all. It had a very small, yet warm vibe to it. The hallway was only about three feet wide, barely enough to let Jaune pass through. When he passed a couple of doors and looked over the railing that led downstairs. It was a two couch living room below him with a wood floor, wood wall finish and a fireplace. Jaune slowly went down the stairs and put an arm on the railing as he did. He noticed that his muscles were more defined, too. When his feet hit the floor, the smell of pancakes filled his nostrils. And man, did they smell good. Jaune somehow knew where the kitchen was and made his way there.

"And there's the man of the house!" Nora said excitedly, her mouth filled with pancakes. Beside her was Ren, who was setting down more pancakes onto a plate in from of Pyrrha. The kitchen wasn't any bigger than the living room, but it was just as nice. The floor was still wood, but the walls were a nice arrangement of dark stones, which gave it a nice Nordic feel to it. This was definitely a stereotypical log cabin house, alright. The kitchen had a small round table to seat 4 people, which was exactly how many people were at the house at this moment.

"Come, sit Jaune, the pancakes are getting cold." Ren said, motioning to a plate in front of an empty seat. Jaune thankfully took it and began to eat.

"It's good to see you guys after so long," Jaune said with a smile on his face. "It's been what, two, three years?"

"Longer," Pyrrha added before taking a bite. She looked absolutely beautiful; Nora and Ren were looking good too. Ren still had his ponytail (Which Jaune didn't dislike, but he wouldn't mind it being cut off). He had a scar just under his left eye which he would ask about if he was in control of his body. His hair was longer than normal too, and he was wearing a plain, green shirt.

Nora on the other hand looked almost exactly the same. Haircut, clothing, facial features... except one thing was clearly different. She was wearing a ring on her left ring finger, clearly visible as she ate with that hand. Jaune smiled on the inside, happy for the two of them (Who somehow worked, even though they were complete opposites). And of course, there was Pyrrha. She had a ring on the same hand as well; and she noticed Jaune staring, which made her blush slightly.

"So, anything crazy happen while you've been exploring the world?" Jaune asked, forking a pancake.

"Well, it's probably a lot more interesting than sitting in a cabin all day with each other," Nora joked with a grin, looking between the other couple in the house. "It's lovely, you wouldn't believe the kind of things we've seen, we'll have to tell you about it over dinner tonight!" Nora seemed like her usual self, happy and cheerful, just more contained and less energetic. Jaune guessed she had matured a bit since their time at Beacon.

"That sounds lovely," Pyrrha smiled, finishing off her pancakes. Soon after a couple of minutes of small talk, they had all finished their meals. Pyrrha and Jaune worked on cleaning the dishes while Nora and Ren put away the materials, talking the entire time. Pyrrha and Jaune exchanged glances every now and then and smiled at each other before looking away again. "There's more news I need to tell you about," Pyrrha said after a long while of silence. Ren and Nora listened in closely.

"What is it?" Jaune asked, drying the last dish with a rag and looking down at her. Pyrrha blushed deeply, looking down and holding her arm like she always did when she was nervous. It was cute, but Jaune always feared she was going to tell him that she had cancer or something along those lines.

"Jaune, I... It's happening, Jaune." She exclaimed, looking into his eyes. "I'm pregnant." The whole house was quiet, even the birds seemed to have stopped chirping to listen in. Jaune seemed to not comprehend what she said, and Nora and Ren exchanged shocked looks.

"You're what?"

"Pregnant."

"Gesundheit."

"Jaune," She took his shoulders, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Do you know what this means?"

"I'm pregnant?"

"No, I am. W'ere having a child, Jaune!" The words hit him like a train and he finally realized what she had been saying. His jaw dropped and gasped, which was apparently funny to the other couple in the house.

Nora grinned, "This. Is. Happening!" She exclaimed with a small chuckle.

"Oh-! This is amazing!" Jaune lifted Pyrrha up and twirled her around in the air. Everyone seemed to be extremely giddy at the moment because of the current news, except for Ren who had a shocked expression on his face.

"Wait, so you're telling me, that you and Jaune actually...?" Nora punched his arm to shut him up and laughed, dancing around the kitchen as Pyrrha and Jaune embraced.

And, of course, Jaune woke up in his tent next to Nora and Ren, who looked like themselves again. But, Pyrrha was nowhere in sight. Jaune sighed heavily, keeping his head on his cot and staring up at the top of the ceiling, which was barely visible in the dim light from the dying fire.

"Pyrrha..." Jaune said quietly to himself, continuing to think of what could've been if Pyrrha were still here with him.


	19. Fear

"But did you see how cute they are together?" Nora told Ren, who was busy reading a book on his bed, with Nora on hers jumping up and down. Jaune and Pyrrha were out somewhere together like usual, and Nora was too busy fangirling to realize Ren was trying to block her out to read his book in peace.

"Yeeeuuup." Ren replied halfheartedly and flipped the page. He was reading some book he borrowed from Blake (Nora called it stealing, but Ren was going to give it back eventually,) called Ninja's of Love. Of course, he blocked the name with his hand so Nora couldn't see what he was reading.

"Like, seriously! It's so obvious that they like each other! What is wrong with them two?" Nora flopped down onto her bed with a sigh. "Those two make me _so_ mad sometimes."

"Very interesting." Ren replied, wishing she would be quiet for two seconds. Nora looked out f their window, down into the courtyard below. She saw Pyrrha's red hair and instantly focused in on them.

"Ren, look, there they are!" Nora exclaimed, pointing out of the window. Their bright hair color made them stand out from the others, one of the perks of having such a... colorful team.

"I see. Very interesting." He didn't look up from his book. Nora glared down at them, not able to hear what they were talking about. They were too high up.

"I wonder what they're always talking about. With how much they're with each other, I wouldn't be surprised if they just say the same thing over and over again. They could be talking about how they secretly plan to kill us in our sleep, or ow much they love making me mad, or about how they're really just dating in secret!" Nora ran all the possibilities through her head.

"Nope," Jaune said to Pyrrha, shaking his head. "Chicken nuggets are obviously better than ham!"

"I have to disagree with you on that one. Ham has much more variety to choose from than simple chicken nuggets." Pyrrha retorted. She smiled over at Jaune, they were having one of their ordinary discussions about which type of food was better. Sure, it wasn't that interesting to Pyrrha, but it gave them something to talk about.

"You're just jealous because I always get more nuggets than you."

"That's because the lady serving food pays you in nuggets to stop talking." Pyrrha giggled lightly. It was true; that lady couldn't stand Jaune's voice. Pyrrha just assumed she had an interesting taste in men. Jaune, in Pyrrha's eyes, was everything she liked. He was tall, but not too tall, he loved to talk about himself (In a humble way), he didn't consider himself the best fighter in the school, and he had the cutest grin whenever Pyrrha made a stupid joke. Jaune was just perfect, plain and simple.

"Anyway," Jaune sighed, knowing he lost the debate. "Where to next? We've already walked around the entire school twice today."

"You act like that isn't normal for us."

"I'm just wondering if you'd like to mix it up a bit." This caused Pyrrha to raise an eyebrow.

"Mix it up how, exactly?"

Jaune took Pyrrha's hand and dragged her along with him, "C'mon, this way!" Jaune grinned, slightly because of his plan and slightly because he was holding Pyrrha's hand. Even though they weren't together, they were awfully touchy. They didn't mind if the other gave them a hug or a hand-hold or anything, and they both liked it that way.

"Jaune-!" Pyrrha said between laughs. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see!"

"I bet they're off to go make out or something," Nora said with a disgusted tone, laying back down on her bed with a sigh.

"Why don't you follow them?" Ren suggested, glancing up from his book at Nora. She perked up slightly at the idea.

"Good idea, Ren!" Nora sprang up from her bed and ran out the room, with Ren sighing in relief as he continued to read his book. Nora made her way outside and looked around for Jaune and Pyrrha. She had no clue where they went off to, and decided to go in the direction she saw them leave in. She looked around the cafeteria, the dorm rooms, and the training class. They were nowhere to be found. "They're probably making out in a closet or something." Nora decided, turning around to see Jaune and Pyrrha giggling as they exited a closet, accidentally knocking over a bucket in the process. They were both blushing and laughing at each other.

"See? I told you it was fine!" Jaune exclaimed, chuckling until he saw Nora, who was completely shocked.

"Oh my god, you two were actually making out in a closet." She decided, storming up to them. "I can't believe you two! I should know these kind of things before they happen so I can take pictures of it!"

Pyrrha exchanged looks with Jaune, "Nora, let us explain-"

"There's nothing you need to explain to me" Nora snapped. "I'm going to post this all over the school!" She said excitedly, and began walking away. Jaune and Pyrrha tried to convince her that they weren't making out, but Nora wouldn't listen. It was too late, she already had the idea in her head and was going to stick with it.

"Jaune," Pyrrha said. "Should we try to stop her?"

"I don't think we can, even if we try. She won't believe us." Pyrrha nodded in agreement, before looking down at the ground.

"And, Jaune, if you tell anyone, I'll show everyone the baby pictures of you." Pyrrha flashed a smile and punched his shoulder lightly before walking away. Jaune laughed lightly, knowing Pyrrha still hadn't overcome her fear.

"Jaune, where are we going?" Pyrrha demanded as he brought her into the closet, shutting the door. Pyrrha dusted herself off, looking around the cramp and dark closet.

"Remember when you told me you had arachnophobia?" Jaune grinned mischievously, earning him an odd look from Pyrrha.

"Yes... Jaune, please tell me you're not-" She froze, feeling something crawling on her shoulder. Pyrrha turned her head and saw a large, black, fuzzy spider crawl through her hair and onto her shoulder. She began hyperventilating.

"You told me the only way to overcome your fear is to face it. So, overcome your fear!" Jaune grinned, blocking the door. Pyrrha's eyes widened and she completely lost it when the spider's leg touched her neck. She flipped out, knocking over a broom and a bucket in the process. She pushed through Jaune and out into the hallway, still wiping herself off. She had to admit, it was funny, seeing Jaune react to her. She began chuckling the same time as Jaune, which was right before she noticed Nora, staring at them with wide eyes.


	20. Eyes

"Excuse me, Ms. Nikos?" Ozpin asked, standing in the doorway of their room. It was late at night, maybe 11 or 12. Pyrrha hadn't seen Jaune in hours, and was getting worried. "I have... news about Jaune. You might not want to hear it." Pyrrha perked up at his name, listening closely. She was with Jaune at breakfast, but after he left her before lunch, she hadn't seen him the rest of the day. It confused her, since he almost always ate every meal with him. He was with her so much, that she hadn't realized how much time she pent with Jaune until he was gone.

"What is it? What happened?" Pyrrha asked, the worry seeping through her voice. Ren and Nora listened in too, looking up at Ozpin from their beds. Ozpin had a good poker face, which made it hard to decipher what kind of news he had in store for them.

"Jaune has... been in an accident. It's not life threatening." He reassured the team. "Jaune is going to be just-"

"Where is he?" Pyrrha demanded, balling her fist.

"I'll lead you to him." Ren and Nora got up and followed Ozpin, the three of them antsy to figure out what happened.

"So... what happened, exactly?" Nora asked quietly from the back.

"I'm not aware of all the details yet. All I know is, Jaune was spotted falling down the stairs in the front of the school. Nobody knows if he tripped, was pushed... but we'll find out. We promise." Ozpin looked down at Pyrrha, who walked with a purpose slightly ahead of the rest of them. He could tell the bond between them two. It seemed the only people who couldn't see it was Jaune and Pyrrha themselves. They didn't understand how much they truly needed each other morally. It was charming too see such different characters come together and form a unique bond. Nora and Ren had the same qualities, but it didn't seem to spark quite like Pyrrha and Jaune did (Which Ozpin had officially dubbed Arkos, combining their names like he did to every pair that went through the school).

"That sounds like Jaune alright." Ren added to the conversation. "If anyone were to fall down stairs simply because they weren't paying attention, it'd be Jaune."

"Indeed." Ozpin finished, leading them down to the medical wing of the school. For Beacon, an academy designed to teach students how to fight, you'd think the medical wing would be filled to the brim with wounded students and crippled prodigy's. But usually, there were only a few students who were hurt enough to be put in a hospital bed. The students seemed resilient at least, which was definitely good for the future hunters and huntresses of the world.

When they entered the main hall of the medical wing, Ozpin showed them the right way. "Right this way, at the end of the-" Pyrrha didn't let Ozpin finish. he already began running down the hall towards the single used bed in the entire wing. Ren and Nora gave each other looks before following behind her.

"Jaune-" Pyrrha exclaimed as she pulled back the curtain, fearing the worst. She expected a full body cast, possibly covered in blood, and the fear that he may never fight again. But no, when she pulled back the curtain, Jaune was sitting up in bed eating a cup of pudding with a spoon.

"Oh, hey Pyrrha." He said, waving his left arm, which was covered in a cast. Pyrrha held her chest with relief that Jaune wasn't mortally wounded.

"Oh, Jaune, you scared me to-"

"Jaune!" Nora exclaimed, stepping in with Ren. "Lookin' good, I think white suits you." She looked between Pyrrha and Jaune, before grabbing Ren's arm. "C'mon, I'm sure they could use some catching up." She decided, which earned her a look of gratefulness from Pyrrha as they left the two alone.

"So..." Jaune said, finishing his pudding and setting down the cup. "How have you been?"

Pyrrha giggled lightly, "Better than you, apparently."

"Why, because I didn't argue with you when you got a ham sandwich?" Jaune joked with a small smile, the same smile Pyrrha loved.

"Oh, of course. It was pure bliss." She responded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "How's your arm?"

"Well, I'm not going to be able to destroy you during practice for a while, so I'm a little down."

"Well, I'll be sure to help you get back on your feet when you're better." Pyrrha sighed heavily and flashed a smile. Jaune rested back in the bed which was propped up, staring up into Pyrrha's eyes. He never understood how they got so green. Jaune always felt there was something special when it came to people's eyes. You could tell a lot about a person by looking into their eyes, his mother always told him. The only thing he could tell in Pyrrha's though, was that they were absolutely perfect.

"Jaune, what exactly happened?"

"It was nothing, I think Cardin just... bumped into me and I fell. It's no biggy, I promise." Pyrrha balled her fists. She knew Jaune was just covering for Cardin. Why did he let him just... throw him around like that? It bothered her, thinking that a man so despicable could get so far in life. She told Jaune once she would break his legs, and now, Pyrrha had every reason to.

"Jaune... You and I both know this has to stop. If you let this keep going, it'll just destroy you. Today, it's a broken arm, tomorrow, it's a broken neck... next thing you know, you'll be sent back home because you can't move your legs anymore. You need to tell Ozpin about this, or I will."

"No, Pyrrha, please." Jaune said, grabbing her wrist. "I think I know how to stop it. Just... Give me some time. That's all I ask." Pyrrha didn't want to listen to him, he had been telling her the same thing for months now. But Pyrrha gave him one last chance.

"Alright... But I promise you, if this doesn't stop soon, I'll make it." Pyrrha threatened, not wanting to see her leader end up like so many others she had seen. Jaune smiled up at her.

"Deal." Pyrrha grabbed a chair and brought it up to the side of the bed, resting her elbows on the sheets.

"Now, Jaune, tell me all about how your day was without me." The conversation carried on, and son they both ended up falling asleep with Pyrrha resting her head on the bed. It was almost like a typical romance scene, the inseparable couple, but this one was truly unique. No other pairing in history seemed to fit together as well as they did.

"Y'know," Ren whispered, cooking a chunk of meat on a stick over the fire. He was leaning in to Nora, looking over at Jaune on the other side of the fire. "Jaune quoted his mother a lot. I remember him telling me about how you can tell a lot about a person through their eyes." He nodded his stick in Jaune's direction, who was staring blankly at the fire. The flames reflected in his iris, his eyelids low and his head hanging. He had the look of absolute despair... Absolute defeat. Nora couldn't help but agree with him.

"Do you think he's daydreaming about Pyrrha?" Nora asked quietly, and Ren nodded his head.

"There's not a doubt in my mind that she's all he thinks about."

* * *

 **Hello, the author here! Just a reminder that I can't post chapters daily without fresh ideas, so they are most definitely welcome! Thank you for reading!**


	21. Saving Pyrrha, Part One

**Special thanks to Slayer 10321!**

Pyrrha held onto Jaune's cheeks as she led him into a deep and passionate kiss. She had waited so long for it to happen, and she knew exactly why she forced it on him. She was going to die today. It was an absolute fact, something out of her control, something predestined. But, for some reason, the thought hadn't effected her yet. She thought about dying like it was something she could come back from. The impact of the decision she made hadn't come to her yet, and she knew she needed to get to the top of the tower before it dawned on her. Jaune was shocked at first before wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing back. It was a heavenly kiss, one that you'd read about in a fanfiction. And when Pyrrha pulled away, Jaune felt like he was missing something. Like her lips were always on his, like it was foreign for her to be away from him.

"P-Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, looking down at the redhead with wide eyes. But before he could say anything else, Pyrrha pushed Jaune back into a locker pod, the door shutting behind him. "Pyrrha, what are you doing?" He asked, shocked. "Pyrrha, please, don't do this!" But Pyrrha had made up her mind, and she'd be damned if she let this get in her way now.

Pyrrha wished she had more time to explain in crucial detail how she felt for Jaune. Every single butterfly she's ever gotten simply because of seeing him, or how she used the help of the other students at Beacon to inch her way into Jaune's life more and more. But that was time she didn't have. Instead, she simply kept her mouth shut about her feelings for Jaune. The kiss was more than enough to show Jaune how she felt. If he felt the same way or not, it didn't matter anymore.

"I'm sorry, Jaune." She said, punching in numbers on the keypad. She was putting in coordinates.

"No, Pyrrha, please!" Jaune tried to say in vein. Pyrrha looked up, giving him one last glance before it shot off into the sky towards the crumbling city of Vale. The whole time Jaune was in the locker, even when he was a hundred feet in the air, he tried opening the door. He tried everything to save Pyrrha, just to have her throw it all away. For what? She wouldn't stand a chance against Cinder, she defeated Ozpin! Thinking about it made Jaune's stomach turn in knots. When the pod landed with a crash on the cracked pavement of an abandoned road, he quickly popped open the door and stumbled out.

He thought about calling Weiss or Ruby, but decided to act instead of leaving it up to someone else. He wasted no time locking in another pair of coordinates into the locker, knowing every second was crucial. Thankfully, his hands never messed up once and he put in the right coordinates his first try. "C'mon, please, don't be too late..." Jaune prayed to himself as he hung onto the outside of the pod. It took off once more, sputtering and twisting around in a violent fashion. He wasn't sure what he'd do when he got there, but he'd figure that out when the time came. Right now, all that mattered was Pyrrha. He had to save her, even if it meant losing his own life over it. He'd rather die than live in a world without Pyrrha.

Soon, the tower was visible and the entire top of it was destroyed. Bright lights and debris flew from it, creating a light show of red. Jaune prayed he'd be able to stick the landing, because if not, he'd hit the tower pretty hard. And that wasn't on his agenda, he didn't have room for failure. Not when the girl he loved was on the verge of life and death. As he got closer, he could see Cinder and Pyrrha battling it out on the top floor, and Jaune gave a sigh of relief that she hadn't failed yet.

Jaune readied himself, sword in hand, and let go of the pod, which flew off into the distance. He was a good 200 feet away from the tower and ten feet up, but luckily the momentum carried him perfectly onto the tower. Of course, his boots never actually touched right then. He crashed directly into Cinder's side, knocking both of them off the side. Jaune grabbed the ledge as he slid off, hanging on by his fingertips. Cinder gave out a grunt and grabbed onto Jaune's leg, not comprehending what happened yet.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha's voice rang out in the distance, and soon he could hear her coming closer. Cinder shook her head and blinked rapidly before looking up at Jaune, smirking slightly.

"Well hello there, long time no see." She grinned evilly, and Jaune prayed that Pyrrha would get here soon. Cinder did something completely unexpected; she let go of Jaune's leg. But, as she fell, her hands twirled and a glowing glass bow appeared in her hands. She pulled the string back and launched the arrow that was knocked, shooting up towards Jaune. Glass shards appeared under Cinder, and she levitated towards the top of the tower at an alarming rate.

"I'm here Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed, sticking her head out over the ledge. Jaune looked up at her, just to see the arrow she had fired get lodged in Pyrrha's chest. Her body recoiled backwards.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune cried out, watching helplessly as she leaned forward, gasping, and fell over the edge. Jaune tried reaching out for her but to no avail, watching as she fell down, down, down. And suddenly, she stopped falling, and started rising. That's when Jaune realized Cinder had caught Pyrrha and was levitating up towards him. Jaune grimaced and flung himself up onto the ledge, slowly gathering himself and drawing his sword. He prepared himself as Cinder lit her way up and over the ledge, tossing Pyrrha's body onto the rubble.

"Oh, Jaune, it looks like your efforts are in vein. You only succeeded in getting both you and your girlfriend killed. Congratulations." She smiled wickedly, and Cinder's eyes began glowing a fiery red. She waved her arms around and soon a bow and arrow appeared, already polled back and aimed at Jaune. He gripped his sword and shield, preparing himself to fight to the death. He had no chance against Cinder and he knew that. But he was going to give it everything he had to get his revenge.

Jaune surged forward, sword raised and low to the ground just as Pyrrha had taught him. Cinder let the arrow fly, but Jaune didn't have the reflexes to deflect it. No, he would die before he could even land a hit on her. He was pathetic and he knew it. At least he'd be with Pyrrha, Jaune thought as the arrow pierced his chest. Or, that's what he expected to happen. A metal slab was raised off of the ground, providing a shield for Jaune which blocked the arrow. It shattered to the ground, and Jaune and Cinder's eyes both opened wide. They both took a moment to look over, seeing Pyrrha sitting up and using her polarity to help Jaune. She was struggling, but Jaune now saw that the arrow had hit her shoulder, which looked non fatal. Of course, that wouldn't matter if they died by Cinder's hands.

Looks like all Jaune had was blind faith and love on his side for the fight of his - and Pyrrha's - lives.


	22. Saving Pyrrha, Part Two

Jaune readied himself for whatever Cinder was going to do. She stood stall and proud of the chaos she had caused, a small smirk pulling at the corners of her lips. Her eyes were fiery, which made it hard to focus. She was just so... evil. Jaune didn't understand why Cinder had done all of this, or why it mattered, but he knew he had to stop her before she did anything more. Her plan was bigger than this. It might even involve taking control of all the kingdoms in the world. And Jaune would be damned if he let that happen.

"You know, you can give up, it's okay." Cinder's voice was cold and smooth, like a serpent trying to trick Jaune into eating an apple. "You can't stop what's been set in motion. What's that saying again? Something like, if you can't beat them...?" Her grin widened as she stared at Jaune with a steady glare. He gripped his sword tight before charging Cinder, and with the help of Pyrrha's polarity, he began to strike sparks with Cinder and not die right away. It almost seemed like he was winning; she was having trouble dodging the metal sheets and sword slashes that Cinder was being bombarded with. That was, until Cinder did a back flip and kicked away Jaune's sword in the process. Pyrrha caught it with her powers and gave it back to him, but that gave Cinder enough time to strike back against Jaune.

She delivered a few punches to his abdomen and disarmed his shield, using it to uppercut him. Jaune stumbled back into a collapsed pillar, using it to steady himself. He held his sword out as a shield, his jaw ringing with pain. "Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Catch!" Both Cinder and Jaune turned to look at Pyrrha, and a cog flew towards them. It cut Cinders cheek on its way to Jaune, who caught it with his free hand and used it as a temporary shield. He was on the offensive again and pushed his attacks, only to be cut off by Cinder swiping his feet out from under him. He fell to the ground, and Cinder quickly conjured a bow into her hands. When she fired, Jaune blocked it with the cog, bit it still managed to faze through and cut Jaune's arm. He grunted and hoped the adrenaline in his body would keep him from worrying about it. He tried getting up, only to be stepped on by Cinder. She held him down on the rubble, causing Jaune to grunt.

"A pity, that your dearest Pyrrha has to see you die like this. Submissive to a superior force. Put down like a dog. It's pitiful-" Cinder was cut off by Pyrrha, who launched her sword through Cinder's abdomen. It stuck right through, maybe a foot out of her body. Cinder gasped, and so did Jaune, not expecting such a sudden move. He hadn't seen Pyrrha get up from her spot on the rubble. Pyrrha stood behind her, leaning all of her weight into the sword. She looked exhausted, like she could collapse any second. Cinder had an expression on her face that mimicked Penny's at the arena, shocked and yet still emotionless. She wrapped her arms around the blade gently, looking down at the sword that had penetrated her fatally.

"I... I..." Cinder tried saying, her breath escaping her lungs. Slowly, the life drained from her face and she began slumping over. Pyrrha surged forward with a grunt, pushing Cinder off of her blade and onto the rubble besides Jaune. He almost felt bad for Cinder, she looked to be in such pain. But then he looked around him, at the destroyed city, at Pyrrha, who was struggling to stand. And then he wish he had the time to stab her himself.

"Pyrrha," Jaune said with his voice cracking. He stood up slowly and dusted himself off, putting his hands on Pyrrha's shoulders to keep her up. "You need help, I'm calling Ruby."

"Wait, Jaune," Pyrrha said breathlessly, putting a hand on his cheek and staring into his eyes. There was a large gash on her forehead with blood trickling from it, as well as the obvious arrow wound in her shoulder. The arrow had crumbled away into dust earlier in the battle, which wasn't good. The wound was bleeding profusely, and Jaune knew they needed to cover it up before she lost too much blood.

"What is it?" Jaune asked, looking back into her emerald eyes. His reflection was easily seen in them, and he realized how cut up he was. He was only just beginning to feel the effects of Cinder's attacks which are, needless to say, painful. Pyrrha took a long moment to stare back at him, before giving him a gentle kiss. It was just as good, if not better than their first one. They had killed Cinder and stopped whatever evil plan she was preparing, and this was the best way to celebrate he could possibly think of.

When she pulled away, they both grinned like children. "Since I had to rush the last time." Pyrrha said with a chuckle. Jaune let out his own laugh, happy that he could finally be with Pyrrha. Soon after, Jaune called Ruby and they waited on top of the decimated tower for their saviors. Jaune had ripped off his sleeve and wrapped it around Pyrrha's arm at an angle to cover up the wound in her shoulder until they could get a proper bandage. They held onto each other, not letting go. They had waited their entire time at Beacon for this moment, and they were going to enjoy it no matter what circumstances they were in.

Pyrrha was barely conscious, her head bobbing as she tried to keep it up. She was afraid that if she closed her eyes, they'd never open again. Jaune sat there, staring down at the rubble comprehending everything that had happened. Cinder was dead, he got together with his crush, and Beacon was in ruins. Not to mention Ozpin and Penny were gone. It was a lot, especially for a single night. Where would they go after this? Beacon was crushed, and so was Vale. They'd have to travel to a whole new kingdom to train. They might get split up. They may never see their friends again. Hell, for all Jaune knew, the tower they were sitting on could collapse and that'd be the end. But none of that mattered, as long as he was holding Pyrrha's hand the whole way through.

"Jaune?" Ruby asked, waking Jaune from his daydream. "Are you okay?"They were still walking down the snowy road they had been traveling down for what seemed like forever. Ruby was to his right, and Ren and Nora were on his left. They walked along slowly, in no rush to get anywhere. For some reason, Jaune looked around for Pyrrha, even though he knew she wasn't there. He let out a sigh.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking is all."

Ruby looked ahead, "You think a lot."

Jaune gave a sigh in return. "There's a lot to think about." The walked in silence after that, Jaune walking with his shoulders slumped and his hands dangling, as if he were waiting for Pyrrha to come along and take his hand in hers. What was wrong with him? He had two entire years to get together with Pyrrha. He was a coward, and wasted all of that time. Now, Pyrrha was dead and all Jaune felt was regret. It was eating him alive, and the rest of his group knew he wouldn't last much longer acting this way. If they got into a fight, what motivation would Jaune have to win? What was keeping him alive? He seemed to have no reason to still be here.

But Jaune trudged on, not knowing why or how, but he managed to keep his feet moving through the light slow for miles and miles, never once faltering. He was going to kill Cinder by his own hand. He was going to make her pay for taking away his only happiness. He wouldn't rest until he accomplished his mission.


	23. Alternate Lives, Part One

**Thanks to patleon909 for vocally expressing his love/hate for my writing. Since you constantly complain that I build you up to bring you down, enjoy this! I love reading your comments!**

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out as she looked for her partner. Jaune had gone off to talk to Ozpin about something, and according to Ruby, he had already left. So now, Pyrrha was out searching for her missing partner. Ruby had seen him leave Ozpin's tower and go towards the garden, so Pyrrha was looking around that location. He wasn't in the garden, so she began checking the places around it. Eventually, she expanded her search to the cafeteria, and then to the arena. Both places turned up negative. Was Jaune hiding from her? Was she slowly forcing Jaune away by being too clingy? She had no clue and the thought of spending the rest of her time at Beacon - the rest of her life - without Jaune scared her. So she was determined to find Jaune and find out why he appeared to be evading her.

After fifteen minutes of re-searching all of the usual locations, Pyrrha's Scroll buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and expanded the screen to see Jaune's contact showing, and she silently thanked him. She answered the call after a moment so she wouldn't seem desperate. "Hello? Jaune?" She asked as if she hadn't even noticed he was gone.

"Hey, Pyrrha!" Jaune's voice seemed ecstatic. "I hope you didn't miss me too much."

"Barely noticed you were gone," Pyrrha lied.

"Oh." Jaune's voice seemed to get lower. "Well, anyway, I was wondering if you could meet me up in our dorm. There's something I want to show you there."

"Oh, alright. I'll be there." Pyrrha smiled before hanging up on Jaune and putting away the Scroll. She was giddy with excitement, walking with a spring in her step as she made her way up to the dorm room. She made sure to calm herself down before she got there, hoping her excitement didn't shine through. She hated being away from her leader... from her friend. Were they friends? Were they more than friends? Jaune and Pyrrha talked about it once in the hospital room after a fiasco at Nick's, but after that, they never trailed back to that topic of conversation.

Pyrrha turned the door knob and slowly opened the door to find Jaune standing proud and tall in front of a table covered in cloth, surrounded on either side by chairs that you'd find in the outdoor seating areas of Beacon. On the table was a single lit candle, and in front of each of the chairs was a plate, adorned with silverware and glasses. Nora and Ren stood in the back of the room next to a pile of beds (Which needed to be moved to make room for the table,) smiling from ear to ear. Pyrrha's hand drifted up to her mouth when she finally comprehended what was going on. "J-Jaune...?"

He smiled at her clueless expression, stepping closer. "May I take your coat, madam?" He asked, holding out a hand. Pyrrha blushed crimson red as she nodded, pulling off her velvet Beacon school overcoat and revealing the with cuffed shirt underneath. It wasn't a coat, but she looked more ready for a date than a class without it. Jaune took it with a bright smile before handing it off to Ren who carried it off to the closet and putting it away. Jaune leaned over and pulled out a chair for her. "Please, sit."

"Jaune, this is... fantastic..." Was all Pyrrha could muster, taking the seat nervously. She couldn't be any happier than she was right. now.

"I'll get the food!" Nora said as she darted off into the hallway, going into team RWBY's room. Pyrrha raised an eyebrow as she saw Yang and Ruby give thumbs up to Pyrrha from their room, before being blocked out again by Nora coming back into the dorm room. She set down two plates of neatly organized Dino-shaped chicken strips in front of them, with a side of mashed potatoes.

"Sorry I couldn't get better food, it was the only thing I could get." Jaune blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Pyrrha giggled at the food.

"It's fine, Jaune. I like it, it's unorthodox. I like that about you." She smiled brightly, and Weiss soon appeared holding a bottle of grape soda in her hand. She poured it graciously into the two cups, leaning in to Pyrrha.

"Jaune owes me big time for this." She said, and Pyrrha could see a small smile spread across Weiss' face before she turned, leaving the room as fast as she came in. And finally, Blake came in directly after Weiss left carrying a small lit match. She leaned over and lit the candle in the center, creating a romantic dim glow, contrasting perfectly with the moonlight from the window. Blake turned off the rest of the lights as she left the room, leaving Jaune and Pyrrha alone in the dorm.

"Jaune," Pyrrha said, not able to suppress her smile. "How many people did you get to help out with this?"

"Oh, y'know, only the entire school." He smiled as he thought about the prep time it took. "Ozpin was just a cover. Ruby told you that to stay away from the dorm room while we got it set up. Yang managed to snatch us this dining set from Goodwhich's collection, and also grabbed the chairs and table from the garden. So, yeah, we put a lot of work into this."

"Well, I must say I am thoroughly impressed." Pyrrha giggled as she began eating with Jaune. After an hour and a half of conversation and dining, they both finished their meals and the dessert had already been finished. It was a fantastic date that Pyrrha couldn't have made better if she tried. But, of course, it got better.

"Pyrrha," Jaune asked, standing up and pushing in his chair. Pyrrha felt obligated to do the same and stood with him. He slowly made his way around the table, standing only inches from the redhead. "I think I may have fallen for you."

"I believe that may be an understatement, considering the lengths you went to impress me."

"Anyway," He chuckled. "I've wanted to say one thing to you ever since that dance. Ever since you first opened my eyes to how amazing you truly are. I was wondering if... you and I could, possibly go out-" But Pyrrha already answered his question with a sudden and passionate kiss. Jaune was taken off guard for a moment before blushing insanely and kissing back. It was like their lips were meant to be together, hers and his interlocking to form a perfect bond. A small cheer from the other side of the door was heard as the kiss continued, until finally they had to pull away for air, still staying only inches from each others lips.

"Yes, Jaune." Pyrrha said, staring up into his eyes. "Yes."


	24. Alternate Lives, Part Two

**By the way patleon909, i'm not mad, I love seeing your comments!**

"So, how long has it been now?" Ruby asked the happy couple, sipping on a milk carton in the cafeteria. The world was bustling about, normal as ever for the students at Beacon, but at the same time, it seemed brighter. More vivid, like someone gave Jaune glasses that he desperately needed for the first time in forever. Pyrrha sat close by him, wrapped around his left arm with an iron grip that was still loose and comforting. She hadn't left his side ever since his proposal to go steady, and Jaune wouldn't have it any other way.

"Two weeks, give or take a day." Pyrrha answered, not ashamed she knew it off the top of her head. Pyrrha and Jaune hadn't been the kind of couple that you'd see making out in the hallway on your way to class; they were more discrete about it. It was their relationship and they wanted to keep it that way. But they stilled showed their signs of affection ever now and then like a peck on the cheek after class or a hug before bed. It was cute, like grown up puppy love.

"And you haven't come to your senses yet?" Yang joked, chuckling to herself. Jaune and Pyrrha laughed too, looking at one another for a moment.

"I don't think that could ever happen." Jaune said, to which Pyrrha silently agreed.

"Well, I think it's cute." Ruby flashed a smile, digging into her food after her statement. Jaune believed he never had a frown on his face after that day. It was like someone opened the curtains on the dark room that was his gloomy life. There was really nothing more that could top this; Jaune had been trying to get Pyrrha for over a year, and even though she liked him back, they always managed to mess it up somehow. But, eventually, it went perfectly right. You can't get it wrong if it's the truth, Jaune said in his head happily. The truth.

Nora set her tray down beside Jaune with Ren in pursuit. "You guys aren't going to be that couple that celebrate their anniversary every week right? Unless I'm getting the gifts, I think that could get boring real fast."

"I think you're safe for now, Nora." Pyrrha chuckled lightly, to which Jaune decided he should probably wait to give her the gift he had for their two week anniversary. Jaune silently thanked Nora for keeping him in check on being too soon for anniversary gifts.

Blake flipped the page in her book, then looked up from it."Is Ozpin and the professors okay with you two sleeping in the same dorms together still?"

"Are you kidding?" Jaune said. "He's like, the ultimate Arkos shipper. He wouldn't split us up, ever." It was true. The second Ozpin had laid eyes on the two, he had tried everything in his power to keep them together. It was something he usually did with students; pair up his "OTP's" and see how they work together. Is that borderline strange? A little, but Ozpin's heart was in the right place, no matter how much coffee he's poured into it.

"Just wondering. There aren't many girl and guy groups around here, mostly all one gender. So having two people dating and living in the same room together seems a little... questionable."

"Are you suggesting Pyrrha and I would-"

"No, i'm just throwing it out there. Devils advocate is all." Blake went back to her book, the Ninjas of Love. Was that the book Ren borrowed a while back?

"Are you finished Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, noticing her empty plate. She nodded.

"Time to go already you two? Blake didn't give you any ideas right?" Yang smiled at them as they stood up.

"We're just going for a walk, Yang. In public." Jaune waved to his group of friends before walking off with Pyrrha close to him. They were in between classes right now, they had about fifteen minutes until their next one started, and Jaune and Pyrrha often decided to take walks around Beacon in that time. It was relaxing and quiet, giving the two time to talk to one another.

"So, ready for the test in Oobleck's class?" Jaune asked.

"Of course, you stayed up with me and made me coffee throughout the night to study." Pyrrha smiled up at him, gently taking his hand in hers. They always had a hint of uneasiness whenever one of them initiated a handhold or hug. It was even awkward, watching them fumble with their fingers until they fit right in each others hands. But it was cute all the same, and when the embrace happened, it was magical. To them, it just felt right.

They rarely kissed each others lips, it was something they both liked to savor and make special. Only for the best occasions, like after a successful date where nothing went wrong or if Jaune managed to pass an exam. Of course, pecks on the cheek and head were perfectly normal for them.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, squeezing his hand gently.

"Yeah?"

"I think you're an amazing guy." She stated, blushing slightly. Those were their kind of compliments. Not completely overboard with statements about each others beauty or looks, but small tidbits of how they truly felt about one an other.

"I just wish I could've picked up on that hint at the dance." Jaune chuckled, drawing a giggle from Pyrrha. "You're just as amazing."

"Can I ask you something?" Pyrrha asked after a long silence. They were still walking, stepping slowly over the pathway laid out through.

"Of course, anything." Jaune said, which caused Pyrrha to stop. She turned to face him, and Jaune mimicked her. "You're not breaking u with me already are you? I thought it'd be at least three and a half weeks."

"No, of course not." Pyrrha took both of Jaune's hands in hers, leaning close. "There was something I... wanted to try."

"Which is...?"

"It involves being in our dorm, alone..."

"Chess?"

"More... just us. Nothing else."

"Charades?"

"No." Pyrrha gave a sigh of frustration. "What do couples usually do alone in a bedroom?"

"Hmm... Wait wait wait," Jaune did a double take, his eyes widening at her. "Are you actually saying you want to try..." He paused, leaning in and whispering, "Doing the do?"

Pyrrha looked completely puzzled, not understanding what Jaune meant. "Huh?" But when she finally understood she blushed deeply, "No no-! I mean, pushing the beds... Slightly closer together so our hands can reach at night. Like the one time a few months ago."

"Oh," Jaune blushed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "That? I uh, don't see why not."

"Jaune, did you honestly believe I would suggest such a thing? Especially this early in a relationship?"

"I honestly have no clue what was going through my head." Pyrrha let out a small chuckle, leaning up and kissing Jaune gently. Their lips barely touched, but it was enough to give Jaune butterflies for the moment. When she pulled away, both of them were blushing. "We've still got to get used to that huh?"

Pyrrha was going to reply, before stopping herself and checking the time. "We're going to be late for Professor Oobleck's class!" Jaune freaked out, and the couple ran off the direction of the classes.

Meanwhile, Ozpin sat back on one of the benches, sipping his mug of coffee as he watched the two run to their class. He sighed like a proud dad would. Professor Goodwitch appeared behind him, looking down at Ozpin's bent glasses. "You truly are one strange man."

"We all have our own pastimes, mine just involves being a wing man to all men who deserve it." He chuckled lightly, causing Goodwitch to roll her eyes.

"I give that relationship another week, max."

"Is that a statement?"

"I'm willing to put money on it."

"The usual wager?"

"You're on." Goodwitch turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Ozpin alone on his bench with a wry smile.


	25. Alternate Lives, Part Three

"Are you sure?" Pyrrha asked, looking around the dorm room. Only Jaune and Pyrrha were inside, talking in hushed voices to each other. Over time, their beds got closer and closer together. It was a gradual move, only about an inch closer every few months. It had been almost a year, and their beds were a little over a foot from each other.

"Yeah. As long as you're okay with it, of course." Jaune blushed slightly, knowing that it would cause speculation. Ren and Nora would be the first to find out, it was inevitable. Soon after, team RWBY would look in to see the change, and eventually Ozpin would find out. Would it be allowed? Jaune wasn't sure. But it still was something he wanted to do. They had waited long enough.

"I'm... alright with it." She nodded slowly smiling over at him from her bed.

"Okay... let's do this." Jaune stood up from his bed, Pyrrha following his lead. They got the edge of the bed, and pushed them together completely. It looked terrible; one neatly made bed and another messy, unmade one. It was slightly crooked and it wasn't centered, but it was perfect for them.

"I think that could've gone a little better." Pyrrha noted before Jaune flopped down onto his bed. "This is also probably illegal." Se finished before laying down beside him.

"Well, I like to live dangerously." Jaune smiled, causing Pyrrha to chuckle.

"Jaune?" She got close to him, putting a hand on his chest.

"Yes, my delicate rose?" He asked in an overly romantic tone.

"I... I love you." The words caught Jaune off guard. Did she say what he thought she just said.

"W-wha...?" He asked, his brain frying.

"I love you."

"Gesundheit."

"Jaune, not again." She giggled lightly. She gave him some time to process what she said, not sure if it was too soon or not. After a long time of thinking, Jaune made up his mind.

"I love you too." He said confidently, kissing the top of her head gently. They both smiled like idiots. At this point, the two of them were just adorable. They slowly came closer and closer until Pyrrha had her head and arm on his chest, with Jaune smiling up at the ceiling. The lights were already off, and it seemed so serene. The window shone on Pyrrha's back, creating a ghostly silhouette on top of Jaune. It was hard for either of them to fall asleep that night. They both had too much on their minds for sleep, no matter how much work they had for school the next day. Was Jaune dreaming? Was he about to wake up from a coma and learn that Pyrrha was dead and he didn't do anything to save her? Perhaps he was just dreaming all of this up.

Moment after moment passed by, and luckily, he never snapped out of it. This was real, he thought. Pyrrha was his girlfriend, and he wouldn't have anyone else in her place. Not in a million years. The redhead invaded his dreams often, she was with him constantly... what more could he ask for? A faithful companion, who's funny, smart and humble? Good at combat, conversations and debates. But what did Jaune have to offer? A pretty face and some cheap humor? Jaune often reflected on himself at night when he couldn't think of Pyrrha. He was a loser, but he tried as hard as he could to wash away that title and get him a shiny new one.

"Goodnight, Jaune." Pyrrha mumbled tiredly after an hour of silence. Jaune smirked and ran his hand over her back, pulling the blankets up over them.

"Goodnight, Pyrrha." He said, feeling her consciousness drain her. She soon let go of his sides and rested freely on him. She made a quiet snore as she breathed, Jaune listening in on her respiration as though at any moment it would stop. Eventually, Jaune too fell asleep with his arm around Pyrrha. It was the kind of scene you'd find in a cheesy love movie you'd rent for a dollar. But this wasn't some cheesy love movie. This was Jaune's life. And he was enjoying every second of it.

"-No, you told me the trip would take an hour. Not the entire day!" Nora exclaimed obnoxiously loud, not being able to see the couple in the darkness. She set down a bag and was followed in by Ren, who flipped on the lights. When they noticed the odd configuration of the beds, they both gasped quietly. Nora squealed quietly and turned, hitting Ren's chest lightly. "Ren, look look look! It's _so_ cute!" She whisper-shouted in excitement.

"Can't say I didn't expect this. They've been growing quite fond of each other over the past few months. Some days I don't even see them. They're always off doing their own thing." Ren slurped his slushie before throwing it in the trash bin in the corner of the room. Nora quickly turned the lights back off and climbed into her bed, staring at the couple as they embraced. Nora was by far their biggest fan. Well, that's what she thought at least. Ozpin definitely had that title.

"When do you think Jaune's going to propose?" Nora asked Ren as he got into his own bed.

"I'm not sure. But, I am certain you will inform me all about your own ideas as I try to sleep." Ren rolled over in his bed, secretly admitting to himself that he was excited for what was yet to come for the young couple.

Just as they planned, soon afterward team RWBY found out about the bed arrangement, each one of them having their own opinions about it. "Ozpin!" Glynda demanded, throwing her papers onto his desk. "I cannot believe you're letting this go on! Next thing you know, they'll be popping out kids!"

"Don't worry Goodwitch," Ozpin waved her off with a sip of his mug. "I'm sure they'll use protection."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Just get some rest. Thy're on their way to finishing their time at this school. Who are we to break up such an... extravagant couple?"

"You just like having your own reality TV show."

"Mmm." Ozpin took another sip. "And, as I recall, you still owe me the money from our first wager."

"I'll get it to you, Ozpin." Goodwitch sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if you're even running a school, this is more of a love-fest for you."

"I take pride in my work, as do you. You can't deny them their basic rights." Glynda let out another sigh of frustration. "They're about to finish their third year. I pray you don't stalk them after they've finished their fourth and moved on from here."

"You will have no proof of anything, Ms. Goodwitch. Goodnight." He waved to her as she exited the tower.

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	26. Alternate Lives, Part Four

**For the problem with last chapter, I fixed it and now you have no proof it even happened! Enjoy!**

"-And Finally, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren." Ozpin announced, a cheer erupting from the crowd. One by one, they all stepped up onto the podium and stood in a straight line, arms behind their backs and their heads raised high. The four of them were all wearing their Beacon uniforms, which were slightly more lavish than usual. Ozpin made his way to each of the members of JNPR team starting with Ren and making his way down the line. He handed out small slips of paper to each of them.

"Congratulations Lie."

"Thank you sir." Ren replied with a nod of his head.

"Congratulations Ms. Valkyrie."

"Thank you sir." Nora grinned evilly.

"Congratulations Mrs. Arc."

"What was that?" Pyrrha asked, breaking her focus for a moment.

"Nothing. Congratulations Pyrrha."

"Thank you sir." She slowly formed back into her stance.

When Ozpin got down to Jaune, he held out the paper to him. Jaune graciously accepted it, and Ozpin leaned in slightly to whisper. "Congratulations young man on completing four full years at Beacon. I recommend not straying too far from Ms. Nikos." Ozpin gave him a wry smile before walking back to his original location. "Thank you for attending Beacon academy." He sent them on their way back down from the stage, and the next group was called up. When they arrived back in the audience, Pyrrha turned to Jaune and wrapped him in a bear hug.

"We did it Jaune!" She cheered, and Ren and Nora held the same embrace with each other. Over the last year, Nora and Ren had finally gotten together (With the help of Jaune and Pyrrha, of course. Returning the favor is only fair). Both couples happily embraced their equals before turning to the others in the group and exchanging hugs all around.

"Congratulations, all of you." Ren nodded to the other three with a smile, to which they all responded with cheers.

"How does it feel to have graduated from the school where all of us met?" Jaune asked.

"Odd." Nora looked up to him. "We've spent so much time here and shared so many memories - the ironic part is that I only remember the drama, and none of the teachings." She smiled, winking to Pyrrha who had passed the school with flying colors on all accounts.

"I never thought i'd be leaving this place." Pyrrha looked behind her to the large gleaming tower in the center of campus, shining bright like a beacon of hope. I wish I could stay here forever with you all."

"Well..." Jaune swallowed his pride and blushed deeply, earning odd looks from the rest of the JNPR team. "I know one way to stay with you forever." Jaune got down on one knee and pulled out a black box, opening it to reveal the silver ring inside to Pyrrha. It accidentally fell out of the box and onto the ground, missing a drain in the ground by inches. He hastily picked the ring back up and tossed the box over his shoulder, blushing as he held out the ring to her. Everyone around them in the crowd gasped, and Jaune prayed Ozpin remembered his part.

"J-Jaune?!" Pyrrha exclaimed, holding her hand to her mouth, the same way she always did when she was shocked. She stared down at Jaune, who had a nervous smile plastered on his face. Nora's eyes widened and she began slapping Ren's chest.

"This, is, happening!" She exclaimed to Ren, who didn't stop her from pounding on his chest in excitement. After that, the rest of the crowd remained quiet.

"Pyrrha, you've been with me through so much." Jaune said, trying his hardest to keep his voice steady. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. You are the light of my life, and I want nothing to come in the way of that. Pyrrha Nikos, will you marry me?" Pyrrha was speechless, now being the one to not fully comprehend what was going on.

"Yes!" She exclaimed after a moment of silence and ran into Jaune with a bear hug, a cheer ringing throughout the crowd as they embraced. Jaune grinned from ear to ear as he held onto Pyrrha and the ring. When she let go, Jaune stood back up and slowly slid the ring onto her finger. Pyrrha began to tear up and gave Jaune a passionate kiss, not caring who saw. Those were the kind of kisses they saved for themselves and kept private, but Jaune just proposed, so Pyrrha decided to do something new too.

"Ladies and gentleman, I proudly present Mr. and soon to be Mrs. Arc." Ozpin announced from the stadium, raising his mug in Jaune and Pyrrha's honor. Now the entire school knew they were engaged, causing for another celebratory cheer from the audience. When Jaune and Pyrrha finally pulled away from each other, they couldn't keep their eyes off of one another.

Nine months later, Jaune and Pyrrha stood in the middle of a spring forest, leaves rustling in the wind. They were facing each other, Pyrrha wearing an elegant red brides dress that hugged her body, while Jaune wore a nice suit with a yellow bow tie. They were almost touching by how close they were, grinning at one another. Ozpin stood a few feet to their side with Goodwitch next to him. Ozpin was holding a book in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. Sure, he wasn't a priest, but he was their teacher and mentor. After a few quick sessions, who cared?

A large group of Beacon graduates sat in rows to their right, with team RWBY up from. Their dresses matched the ones the wore at the dance their first year at Beacon, elegant and extravagant. Pyrrha was still wearing her usual headpiece, something she never seemed to be without. Jaune loved the way she looked with it. Her hair was in its usual style, a long and bouncy ponytail that hung from the back of her head.

"-Pyrrha Nikos, do you take Jaune Arc to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." She stared into Jaune's sapphire eyes with love and passion in her own.

"Are you sure?" Yang called with a small giggle afterwards, earning a punch on the arm from her sister.

And do you, Jaune Arc, take Pyrrha Nikos to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." He couldn't hide his grin as he said the words.

"Then by the power invested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." But the two of them were one step ahead, leaning in to each other with their lips locked passionately. The audience all clapped and cheered for the now married couple, Jaune and Pyrrha Arc. They held hands as they turned and waved to the crowd, running down the elevated platform and down the aisle, the crowd standing and applauding the two as the made their way down.

Ozpin leaned back, still looking as the Arcs ran off. "Pay up." He whispered to Goodwitch, who begrudgingly pulled out her money and handed it to him. Ozpin stuffed it into his pocket and took a sip from his mug. "I should start my own dating service." He mused to himself.


	27. Alternate Lives, Part Five

**Hello fellow readers! In case you need to, loop back to the chapter "If Only" For a basic rundown of how Jaune and team JNPR found out about this. Of course, exclude the ending of that chapter... for now, muahahaha... Enjoy!**

"So, wait, you're trying to tell me, that you and Pyrrha actually-" Weiss was about to ask in shock, her hand raised over her mouth the same way Pyrrha did.

"Yes..." Jaune blushed insanely, looking over at Pyrrha for help.

"We've always liked the possibility of children... We decided it was a good time to have one." Pyrrha explained to the rest of team RWBY, surrounding the fire in their warm cabin. It was a nice stone fireplace with a blood red glow flickering from its belly, lighting up the entire open loft. There were no other lights on in the house.

"But... He's Jaune! It couldn't have been _that_ good of an idea since it involved... _it_! With _him_!" Weiss shivered at the thought.

Blake scoffed, "Oh grow up Weiss," Blake rolled her eyes beside her.

"Girls, girls, please, no need to fight over me." Jaune said in his ladies-man voice. "Pyrrha already has dibs.

"I sure do." Pyrrha giggled and kissed his cheek gently, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did so.

"I'm just surprised Jaune was the first of us to get laid," Yang pitched in, earning a usual punch of her arm from Yang's younger sister.

"That we know of," Weiss said, taking a look around the room, her eyes landing on Ren and Nora in the corner of the house in comfy recliners before looking on to the rest of the group. "Just saying."

"Anyway," Pyrrha decided the conversation had steered off track. "Jaune believes it will be a boy, but I think I can sense a girl." Pyrrha placed a hand on her swollen midsection.

"Sense?" Ruby mused. "Are babies made of metal?"

"It's hopefully going to be a girl for Jaune's sake," Yang joked.

"Hey!" Jaune tried to protest, but didn't really have much to defend himself with. They all shared a few laughs as the two teams caught up on the past few years of their lives. They were filled with adventure and action; Jaune almost felt like he was missing out. He wished he could be out there fighting Grimm with the rest of them, but he knew Pyrrha needed him now. She couldn't take care of a child on her own, no matter how great she was. And when he saw the happiness in Pyrrha's eyes, he knew he wouldn't ever leave her side.

Around six months later, Pyrrha had blown up like a balloon. She could barely get up and down the stairs anymore, so most nights she would sleep in the guest bedroom downstairs. And, of course, Jaune had always stayed by her side. He would sleep on the floor beside the single bed, reaching his hand up and subconsciously holding Pyrrha's hand as they both slept.

On one particular morning, Jaune was woken up by Pyrrha. "Jaune!" She exclaimed, shaking his shoulder. "Get up!"

"Huh...?" He asked, drowsily opening his eyes. Pyrrha hadn't woken him up this urgently since the day they almost missed their final at the end of their fourth year.

"Jaune, I-I think my water broke." She said, already appearing to be dressed. This alerted Jaune, who quickly got up from the mat on the floor where he slept.

"O-okay, the hospital's too far away to walk, so we need to call a-"

"I already did." Pyrrha said, waving her Scroll in the air to show him. She had sat down on the bed, her hands stretched around her bump and breathing heavily.

Jaune had begun to freak out. Was he really ready to be a dad? He could barely keep himself safe, let alone a child? Was he insane? He had no clue how to be a parent, and the thought had only just occurred to him. "Pyrrha, okay, okay, just, uh, stay calm. Take slow deep breaths, and uh, take three vitamins a day..." He began babbling about random health facts, trying to figure out what to do until the airship arrived. Pyrrha found this funny, that she was the one giving birth and yet Jaune was the one overreacting. Should she be, though? Pyrrha didn't feel any need to rush anything, but should she? She had no clue, and now that thought had begun to scare her too.

So, by the time the airship arrived, the paramedics escorted Pyrrha on board with Jaune following after, the transport taking them to the nearest hospital (Which was still far away, considering that they lived in the middle of a forest).

Exactly fifteen hours later, Jaune and Pyrrha had a precious baby girl in their arms. They had decided to name her Lily, after the red and yellow flowers that bloomed in their garden in the summer. It was a cute tribute to the famous colors of the couple, and the rest of the group had adorned the precious little girl. She was clumsy like her father, but an amazing fighter like her mother. Although she tended to pay attention in class and get the correct answers all the time, she still managed to find time to make others laugh the same way Jaune and Pyrrha seemed to be remembered by. She seemed to be the perfect combination of the two.

Time went by and soon the toddler who was just barely learning her first word (Which was Ruby, much to Ms. Rose's delight,) to becoming a student at Beacon. Lily joined on her first try, and Jaune honestly wondered if that was because of her skill, or the fact that she was Pyrrha and his' daughter. No matter what the correct answer was, she passed through Beacon with flying colors. She was officially apart of Team FLWR (Ironic, once more. Her life seemed to be filled with irony.)

And, eventually, to Jaune's disappointment, on her first day home after graduating from Beacon, she brought home a date. Of course, both Pyrrha and Jaune were shocked to find out it was a woman Lily had brought home named Rey ( The R in FLWR), but they accepted her with open arms and loved her all the same. As time continued to pass, Jaune and Pyrrha seemed to get older and older. And through it all, they stayed together through life hand in hand.

It was, by far, Ozpin's favorite couple that he ever had the pleasure of teaching. And their daughter? A close second.

 **Low key wanting to make a story about Lily now... Hope you enjoyed Alternate Lives! Prepare for another chapter later tonight!**


	28. Weiss Helps Out

**This chapter was suggested by MABfan11 to be based off of the artwork in the link below!**

art/RWBY-Arkos-Shippers-be-like-572796478

 **Enjoy the randomness of it all, and I recommend seeing the picture before reading this. Enjoy!**

"Jaune Arc!" Weiss' voice rang through the door, and as if he hadn't heard her yell his name, Weiss banged obnoxiously hard on his door. Jaune, slightly terrified, got up from his bed, set down his comic, and slowly approached the door. She was still knocking on the door as he opened it, absentmindedly continuing her rhythm as if the door hadn't opened. She accidentally hit him in the face.

"Ow!" Jaune stumbled back, holding his nose. Weiss had no time for apologies.

"You're coming with me, right now." She grabbed his wrist and yanked Jaune out the door, not providing any explanation. Ren and Nora looked up from what they were doing to watch Jaune get pulled out of their dorm.

"W-Weiss, where are we going?!" He asked, trying his hardest to keep up with the heiress, dragging him behind her. They made their way down to the garden, where Weiss had finally let go of Jaune's arm. She turned to face him."

"How do you feel about Pyrrha?" She asked, crossing her arms. She stared up at Jaune, who towered over her and blocked out the sunlight.

"Um..." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "She's an awesome friend."

"That's not what I mean you dolt," Weiss sighed. "Are you romantically attracted to Pyrrha?" Jaune couldn't seem to figure out what to say. He had always liked Pyrrha, especially after the dance, but he wasn't sure if Weiss was the right person to go to for that kind of advice. Especially since he used to have a huge crush on her.

"Well.. Uh, maybe... Just a tiny-"

"That's all I need." She said, walking off towards the direction they came from. "Follow me!" She said after noticing him standing still where she had left him.

'Oh!" Jaune jogged to catch up to Weiss, who had began walking forward at a fast pace. Why did she always seem to be in a hurry to Jaune? "So, Weiss, what are you doing?"

"I'm helping you with Pyrrha, duh." She said as though it was clear the whole time.

"But... Why?" Weiss took another break from walking turning to face him.

"Look, you're an... alright guy, Jaune. And after what you did for me at the dance, with Neptune... I figured you could use a little help too." Weiss' white skin seemed to turn a light shade of pink. Weiss was an exceptional lady, minus her attitude; she had gorgeous eyes, perfect hair, and wasn't freakishly tall. Jaune shook his head, trying to get the thought out of his head. Pyrrha was his objective. He wanted Pyrrha, and no one else.

"Ready to go?" She asked, nodding her head in the direction of his dorm room. Pyrrha had just entered their room, and Blake was reading a book out in the hallway. It was kind of odd to see her there.

"Wait a second, why'd we go all the way down to the garden if you were just going to-"

"Are you ready, Jaune?" Weiss asked, the annoyance in her voice peaking.

"Um, I-I dunno, how's my hair? Wait, what should I say? Am I going to-" Weiss rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist again, pulling him off in the direction of the dorm. She kicked open the door (Literally; broke the hinge and everything;) and barged into the room, which startled Pyrrha and the others in team JNPR. Blake frowned, looking up from her book and realizing that Weiss was up to no good. She got up, setting her book down, and followed them into the room.

"Pyrrha," Weiss said, staring up at her. She forced Jaune in front of her, Pyrrha and Jaune exchanging looks of bewilderment. "I'm sorry about this." She reached up and grabbed Jaune's head, forcing him down onto Pyrrha's breastplate. Hard. So hard in fact, Jaune got a nosebleed from the momentum. It was a little harder than Weiss had intended, but oh well. She made sure to hold Jaune's head against Pyrrha's breast, which was not only awkward for everyone in the room, but made Pyrrha... shocked, to say the least.

"Weiss!" Blake called in confusion. Nora brought out her Scroll and began filming the entire thing, while Ren simply made a disgusted face. Weiss made sure to hold Jaune there for a moment, knowing Pyrrha or Jaune would try to pull away. When Weiss looked up, she realized Pyrrha had a nosebleed too. Weiss moved Jaune's face up to an angle where he was above the curve in her armor, face down into her cleavage before letting go of Jaune's head.

"I am very sorry." Weiss said before storming out of the room, leaving the rest of them in complete chaos. Jaune was now on the floor, holding his bleeding nose. He was still in shock from what happened, slightly confused. Pyrrha had no clue what to think.

"Jaune, what was that? Are you alright?" She asked, not caring that he got his blood on her armor. She was dripping blood too and she didn't even know it.

"I have... absolutely no clue..." Jaune couldn't help but laugh at the randomness of today's events. He wasn't sure why Weiss came up with this out of everything, maybe she meant to force them too kiss but missed? Who knows. Weiss just forced Jaune to motorboat Pyrrha, which the rest of the group found absolutely hilarious.

 **Once again, this is a story provided for the artwork here! Not my artwork, but well done!**

art/RWBY-Arkos-Shippers-be-like-572796478

 **Extremely random, kinda awkward, but whatever! I'm in a good mood! So go out and motorboat your friends today! Don't actually, you might get punched. Hope you enjoyed!**


	29. Red Like Roses

**Red Like Roses Lyrics**

 _I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute._

Jaune held a red tulip in his hand, ready to go see Pyrrha in their dorm. This was it. This was the day he would ask Pyrrha out. He had on a nice suit, just outside of his room. He wasn't sure if Ren or Nora was inside with her, but that didn't matter. Nothing would stop him. He couldn't stand another minute without her in his life. He needed her to be more with him.

Jaune knocked on the door, waiting for Pyrrha to open it. He nearly crushed the flower to death in anticipation, wondering if she was even inside. It seemed to take unbearably long for Pyrrha's sweet voice to ring. "I'll be there in a moment!" She said. Good, Jaune thought. She had dropped subtle hints at the ball that Jaune was a good guy, and that she truly liked him for him.

When the door finally opened, Pyrrha's smile was replaced with a small amount of shock. "Hey, Pyrrha." Jaune gave a half smile, hoping it would add some boyish charm to his proposal.

"J-Jaune? Is, that for... me?" She looked down at the flower, beginning to blush.

 _Couldn't bear another day without you in it._

Jaune stared down at the picture of Pyrrha, the one he had cried over so many nights before. A few tear drops stained the picture around her face, and there was a center fold down the middle where Jaune would hide himself, so he could focus entirely on Pyrrha. She was the light of his life. She had been taken away almost as fast as Jaune had fallen in love with her.

Why did she have to abandon Jaune? If she liked him back, why would she throw it all away right when they had kissed? Jaune wasn't sure what went through her head that night, but he knew he would've tried to change it if he could.

The light in his life had been extinguished, and the only thing he did to help was giving her a final kiss. Jaune blamed himself for what had happened to Pyrrha. The others tried to tell him otherwise, but their efforts were in vein. He wouldn't stop believing he was the cause of her demise for the rest of his life.

 _All of the joy that I had known for all my life,_

Pyrrha smiled brightly at Jaune as they sparred, their blades pressed against each other in equal power. She twisted around and tried kicking Jaune's legs out from under him, but Jaune learned from her ways and jumped, knocking Pyrrha backwards. "Excellent!" Pyrrha exclaimed giddy, and went after Jaune again. The entire fight, Pyrrha had a radiant smile on her face, something Jaune kept getting distracted by. She had helped him through so much. Jaune would repay her one day.

"Feet apart!" Pyrrha corrected as they fought, their blades dancing in a shower of sparks and barrage of grunts as the two alternated from offense to defense.

 _Was stripped away from me the minute that you died._

"...I'm sorry, Jaune." Ren put a consoling hand on his shoulder as Jaune put his head in his hands. He didn't care that he was crying in front of his team, or who was left of it. The news about Pyrrha devastated him to say the least. Pyrrha was Jaune's best friend, and it stung even more that he was in love with her. Who could've known? Maybe they would've gotten together a day, two days after she had sacrificed herself if she had just stayed alive.

It was all Cinder's fault. Jaune knew he had someone to deflect all of his anger into. He would kill her, even if he died in the process. He needed revenge. Jaune would not let this go unpunished. He wasn't sure if he should be angry or depressed at that moment. He felt a confusing string of emotions. Disbelieve, denial, anger, sorrow... The list went on.

Pyrrha was gone.

 _To have you in my life was all I ever wanted,_

"May I have this dance, ma'am?" Jaune asked, holding a hand out to Pyrrha. He was still in that ridiculous dress, the night of the ball, and Pyrrha couldn't get enough of it. How could such a lovable idiot get even more lovable and idiotic?

Pyrrha gave a nod and grinned happily in response, holding her hand onto his and stepping close to Jaune. He put one hand on her lower back and Pyrrha wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling up at his beautiful sapphire eyes. Jaune felt like the entire room was watching them as the two dresses twirled slightly to their swaying movements.

It was adorable, and everyone knew it. This was Jaune and Pyrrha's night, thy had taken it the second Jaune walked in wearing a dress. And now, here they were, enjoying themselves even further.

 _But now without you I'm a soul forever haunted._

Was it even possible for Jaune to feel any more empty than he was right now? Ren and Nora slept close together on the other side of the tent, Ruby in the center, and Jaune sitting up, staring at the snow falling outside. It was the middle of the night, and the fire had long been extinguished. At this time of night, he couldn't even think He couldn't feel. He was just a shell. A ghost of his former self.

He hadn't realized how much Pyrrha helped his self esteem, how much she made his life interesting and exciting. It was much easier to tell her impact on him when she was gone. Except this time, she was gone for good.

 _Can't help but feel that I had taken you for granted,_

"I'm telling you, Pyrrha's been dropping subtle hints that she likes you for over a year now, Jaune." Nora explained, frustrated with the couple.

"What? No, Pyrrha doesn't like me. We're just friends, and that's all she'll ever want to be. Pyrrha's the greatest warrior of our generation, she doesn't have time for a loser like me."

"If you just talk to her-"

"If I talk to her, she'll reject me, and our friendship will crumble. Can't you see? Pyrrha wouldn't want to date me in a million years. She wouldn't even kiss me if she was about to die." Jaune scoffed, getting up and ending the conversation they had.

 _No way in Hell that I could ever comprehend this._

Jaune sat down beside Qrow, who was drinking from his flask like always. Qrow had never really had a full conversation with Jaune, he barely remembered his name. What was it? June? Jane? Oh well.

"What're you doing here kid?" Qrow asked. Jaune looked over at Qrow, staring at his bottle.

"I need some of that." Jaune said monotone, his eyes drooping from lack of sleep and his head hung low.

"You're a little young for alcohol aren't you?" Qrow raised an eye, gripping his bottle tight.

"My almost-girlfriend is dead, Beacon is destroyed, Ozpin's missing, Grimm are invading Vale and I did nothing to help." Qrow wasn't expecting such harsh things from a young blond boy. But, he held out the flask to Jaune.

"Welcome to the club, bud."

 **Felt like I've been too happy with the past few chapters, time for sadness! :D I hope you enjoyed the excruciating pain!**


	30. The Aftermath, Part One

**A story suggested by** **Slayer 10321, thanks for the awesome idea!**

Jaune had made his final stand at the Battle of Beacon in the decaying clock tower. The entire top was destroyed, the top floor covered in rubble, with Jaune's blood splattering it. He was fighting Cinder alone on the rooftop, with no one to help him. Cinder was decimating Jaune, throwing him around like a toy. Every time he tried to attack, she easily countered and knocked him back. She could kill him at any moment, so Jaune tried to keep the fight entertaining while he could, so Cinder wouldn't get bored and just toss him off the tower.

Jaune had thrown Pyrrha into a locker pod and sent her off to safety after a magical kiss. Why had he decided that before his suicide mission, he would kiss the girl of his dreams? Why would he throw those kind of feelings into her head before he was gone for good? Jaune wasn't sure, but he needed to have something to fight for. Something to make him want to walk away from this. Pyrrha was his biggest driving force... his only driving force. He felt like he had no reason to be alive except to help her in any way he could. He didn't even feel like the main character in his own story, he was just some extra in a bigger picture that didn't include his name in the credits.

He would win this for Pyrrha.

"Where's that little redhead of yours?" Cinder asked with a small grin pecking at the corner of her lips, her eyes lighting up like a firework as she battled Jaune. He stumbled back from her last blow, the major wounds he had sustained being a cut on his cheek, a broken rib and a shower of glass shards all over his body. He had many small cuts all over his body, bruises that would never go away if he survived this.

"Safe from you," Jaune spat out blood onto the ground, knowing he wasn't going to last much longer. He charged Cinder, sword held out and sword raised high. Cinder was going to simply push down his shield and punch him backwards, but Jaune changed up his formula. He stopped suddenly, lifting up his shield and knocking Cinder's hand out of the way. She had gotten so used to Jaune trying the same attack that she didn't comprehend him actually trying something new. He aimed the sword downward at her chest and thrust it down, expecting that to be the end. But instead, Cinder finally reacted properly and sidestepped out of the way of the blade.

"Wrong answer, Jaune-y Boy," She gave a wicked smiled and twisted the sword out of his hand, flipping it around and driving it through Jaune's chest above his armor. Jaune had never been stabbed before and he decided it was a glorious revelation that he'd rather not try again. He gasped and stumbled back, tripping over himself and falling on his back. The rubble propped him up, so he was laying down completely. She had left the sword in his chest, and it was causing Jaune more pain than he ever felt before.

"I'm sorry you're friends weren't here to save you." Cinder spoke softly as if she hadn't just shortened his lifespan to a few minutes. "Just tell me where Pyrrha is, and I can guarantee you'll see her soon." Jaune spat at Cinder, trying to gasp for a breath. He knew he was going to die. It was a kind of feeling that you just... know. He couldn't explain it, but the pain had actually started to go away, replaced by a kind warmness that invited him to close his eyes and sleep.

Cinder wiped off the bloody saliva from her face and grimaced, standing tall before putting her foot on the hilt of the blade and pressing down into it, driving the blade further into Jaune. He was seeing red; he felt his hands get unbearably hot, completely blocking out all other pain. Soon, his whole body felt like it was on fire. Cinder gave him an odd look and stepped back slightly. He was radiating a soft yellow glow lighting up the tower.

"What the..." Was all that Cinder could muster as Jaune began to elevate in the air. He began to see sparkles in his vision, the edges of his view slowly turning darker and darker. Jaune knew this feeling. He was blacking out. But why? What the hell was happening to him? Cinder and Jaune had no clue what to do about this.

And, in an instant, Jaune closed his eyes and opened them, seeing a completely different picture around him. He collapsed to the ground, feeling... grass? It was nice and soft, brushing against Jaune's face. It was a lot more comfortable than the rubble he had been on just seconds earlier. The yellow glow seemed to slowly dissipate, and Jaune was left in total darkness. His eyes closed and he prepared himself to die. But... why? He couldn't remember what had happened before the rift. The last thing he remembered was dancing with Pyrrha at the ball. He could remember everything else vividly, but it seemed the last year or so of his life was gone.

And then, Jaune decided it was a pretty good time to sleep. Or die, the possibility swam through Jaune's head. But the pain in his chest was receding and feeling better by the second, and he slowly began to have feeling in the rest of his body. What the hell was happening?

"Jaune?" A light female voice called. "Jaune, is that you? Jaune? Jaune!" The voice was getting distant, as did the rest of the background noise he had been hearing. The wind, trees rustling... But who was the girl? He couldn't match a name to the voice. The last thing he remembered was staring at the ground as a set of muscular arms carried him off before slowly falling asleep. Or dying, he honestly wasn't sure.


	31. The Aftermath, Part Two

Jaune slowly woke to the smell of fresh soup and the sound of a crackling fire. It took him a while to open his eyes, but when he did, he was greeted with a beautiful one room cabin, herbs and cured meats hanging around the cabin loosely. The dim glow from the fireplace made the dark wood floor and walls light up, each shadow casting a gloomy overshadow on the room. It was the only light source in the cabin, so it was hard to see who the woman standing in front of it was. She seemed tall, and wore dark clothes. She had to duck to make sure she never hit the beams in the roof supporting the building.

"Hell-hello?" Jaune called hoarse, his voice scratchy and light. The woman jerked suddenly and gripped the weapon she held in her hand. As Jaune looked closer, he realized it was actually just a spoon. "Who are you?" He asked, sitting up in an unusually comfortable bed. For something that looked like it was going to collapse under the weight of a feather, it was better than the beds at Beacon. Beacon... Why wasn't he there? The last thing Jaune remembered was the wonderful dance with Pyrrha, team JNPR and team RWBY. It was... odd to say the least.

The woman slowly turned, but her face was still unrecognizable in the darkness. She slowly stepped forward with the floor creaking under her weight. She had light skin, and that's all Jaune knew.

"Jaune?" The woman asked, her voice having a striking similarity to someone he knew. But it was... different. Altered. "Is that really you?" She went to the table and lit a match, the dim glow of the small flame only lighting up the black dress she wore. As she lowered the match onto the candle on the table, she was easily recognizable now; Ruby.

"I-is that you, Ruby?" Jaune asked, not believing it. Her facial features seamed different, more defined. And she was much taller. Jaune was more confused than he had ever been. "Where are we? What happened?" He asked, not sure what he wanted answered first.

"Jaune... where have you been? We thought you were dead!" She ran up to him and tackled him with a hug. Her raven hair got caught in Jaune's face and he couldn't help but laugh, hugging her back.

"I'm not sure what happened. The last thing I remember was the dance at Beacon." At this, Ruby pulled away with her arms on his shoulders, staring into his eyes.

"Jaune, that was over five years ago." She told him, her expression softening. "Beacon was destroyed... You've been missing for four years. Where have you been? And why were you glowing?" Jaune didn't have an answer to either question.

"Where are we?" He decided to ask instead of answer.

"My cabin." She explained, and realized the information didn't help him. "After Beacon was destroyed, Weiss and I managed to find each other, and we came here for shelter... Ever since Vale fell to Cinder, we've been trying to find our friends. We all got split up after the collapse." This was a lot for June to absorb. "You died back there, Jaune. After the tower collapsed, Weiss had seen you fall with it."

Jaune got up from his bed, stretching. "Where's Weiss? And Pyrrha?"

"Weiss hasn't been back for a few days, she's out gathering materials. And as I said earlier, we're not sure what happened to the others. We all got separated. We could be the only three people from Beacon left." She looked down for a moment, holding herself. "But three's better than two, right?" She said optimistically. "You should get your sit down, Jaune. You've got five years of your life to catch up on." Jaune nodded and sat back down on the bed, joined by Ruby close to him.

"Why aren't we out looking for the others?" Jaune asked.

"Weiss and I are lucky we found this run down place. We couldn't survive without shelter, so we bunked here for the first few months. We started searching further and further away for others but... We never found anyone. We tried to leave all together, but it's practically impossible to go further than a couple of miles due to all of the Grimm still surrounding the place. There's a giant Grimm Dragon in Beacon that's been filling up the entire forest with Grimm. We've noticed there's a lot less than before, and Weiss and I decided we should try and leave again in the next few days."

Jaune put his head in his hands. Just minutes ago it seemed, he was having the time of his life with Pyrrha at the ball. And now, he's finding out that all of his friends from Beacon could be dead.

"Maybe that's your semblance?" Ruby said, staring at him.

"What? Forgetting my memory?"

"No... I mean, yes, kind of... Think about it. You died at Beacon four years ago. All the sudden, you show up with no memory of the past events. Maybe when you died, you... flung yourself into the future?" She tried piecing it together.

"You're not making a lot of sense, Ruby..." Jaune mentioned. "But if so... I've got a pretty odd semblance. That'd explain why I felt pain all over my body before you found me."

"Yeah! I'm totally right!" Ruby cheered. Jaune couldn't help but smile at her.

"I was hoping I'd have some super awesome power, like super strength or polarity or speed... I guess throwing my past self into the future is pretty cool though," Jaune said.

"Maybe with practice you can time travel!"

"That'd be awesome." Ruby giggled and patted Jaune's shoulder.

"Get some rest, Jaune. Let it all sink in." She stood and smiled, then thought for a moment. "I guess I'm older than you, huh?" She grinned evilly.

"Huh?"

"I'm twenty, Jaune. You just missed my birthday." She smiled and walked off to the other end of the cabin, continuing to prepare her meal. Jaune slowly laid down in bed, pulling the blankets over his chest with a sigh. He turned over and stared at the wall until he slowly drifted off to sleep.

 **Hello, and thank you for reading! So, I have a poll of sorts to ask of. I wanted you guys to tell me how... I'm not sure how to word this. Smutty? I get in the chapters to come? Not this specific story line, I mean other one shots. I'm not sure If I can just say the word "Boobs" And get yelled at by hundreds of angry 'fic readers. So, Not saying actual sexual intercourse or anything, Just wondering how far you guys would want me to go. Thanks, and tell me in the reviews for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed!**


	32. The Aftermath, Part Three

Jaune woke up to the sound of hushed chatter between Ruby and Weiss. He kept his eyes closed as he listened in. "I'm telling you, we've searched everywhere." Weiss' stern voice seemed the same as always.

"Well we need to leave sometime!" Ruby whined.

"But now isn't the time. You weren't out there, you didn't see how many more Grimm have shown up in the past couple of days. We shouldn't put ourselves at risk."

"There isn't enough food for all of us here, Weiss. Eventually, with Jaune here eating with us, there's no telling how fast we'll run out."

"Oh, please. Jaune eats less than me, and that's saying something." Jaune decided now was a good time to get up from his nap. He slowly rose from his bed and Weiss and Ruby jumped slightly, holding in their exclamations. "Jaune, you're awake." Weiss fixed her clothing. She also looked older, her combat skirt replaced with a dirty brown cloak over her shoulders. Her hair was still in the same ponytail, and another scar adorned her face just under her cheek.

"It's good to see you again Weiss." Jaune nodded towards her.

"Are you hungry?" Ruby asked.

"Starving," Jaune said, ready to prove Weiss wrong. Ruby nodded and stood up, heading over to the other side of the cabin and preparing a bowl. She grabbed as many spices as she deemed necessary for the soup, which was quite a lot for Jaune's taste. Ruby must not have been the best cook.

"So, Jaune," Weiss began, scratching the back of her head. "Are you hurt at all? Nothing's sore?"

"I feel great, but according to Ruby, I shouldn't be."

"Well, you were gone for four years."

"Yeah, Ruby caught me up on the past events... I can't believe what happened to Beacon. With everyone scattered... It seems unreal. I keep thinking this is just a dream."

"I pray it is every day." Weiss said monotone, looking down at the uneven floor. Ruby finally came over with the steaming owl, holding it out to Jaune.

"We're leaving to try and find some place better than this." Ruby told Jaune as she also handed him a spoon with his soup. He gratefully took it, but Ruby earned a look from Weiss that read she wasn't too happy with her decision. Jaune began to eat the soup, which tasted like liquid parsley. He nearly choked on the strong taste, but restrained himself as to not offend Ruby. If they had lived off of this stuff for years, he could understand why they wanted she wanted to leave so badly.

"I've already packed and Weiss has her stuff ready from her expedition, so we're ready whenever you are." Ruby told Jaune, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I hope you're ready to do some hiking." Ruby gave him another hug, which kind of threw him off guard. When Ruby realized this, she thought she was making him uncomfortable and pulled away. "Sorry, It's just... I haven't seen anyone besides Weiss in a while... It's good to see a familiar face."She blushed and gave a smile.

"I would hug you, but I really don't want to." Weiss said.

"I understand." Jaune said with a small chuckle, happy to take his mind off of the terrible soup. After a nice talk with Ruby and Weiss, Jaune packed a couple of their things into his pack and they set off on their way just before the sun rose. They kept eyes out for the endless amounts of Grimm all over the area. Luckily, they always managed to hide or get away from every group they passed. They wouldn't make it out alive if they attacked anything; it'd make too much noise. More and more would just keep coming, so they stayed clear of them.

Finally, after a good four day hike through a Grimm infested forest, they saw what was left of Beacon. Crumbling buildings, with the circular tower in the center almost completely collapsed. Jaune stared directly at his old dorm room, the window cracked. It saddened him to think that Pyrrha, Ren and Nora could be dead. It's been five years, and Grimm still patrolled lazily through the courtyards and rubble of collapsed roofs and crumbling walls. Everything could be seen from their vantage point in the Emerald Forest, and Ruby's binoculars helped a lot.

"Good, we've found it." Weiss exclaimed as she looked off to the ruins. "Now we know which way Vale is."

"We've got to look for a working Scroll." Ruby said. "I'm sure someone will come to our aid if we set off a beacon. Atlas guards possibly?"

"I agree. Do you remember what happened to yours?"

"Broke after my fight with Torchwick." Ruby exclaimed. "Where's yours?"

"At the bottom of the fountain," Weiss sighed. "Wait, Jaune, where's yours?" She asked. Jaune searched his pockets and fished out his Scroll. It had a small crack at the top left, but otherwise seemed undamaged.

"Great, now all we need is to find a place that'll give us a strong enough signal to reach Atlas."

"What about the radio antenna?" Jaune decided to contribute his thoughts, pointing off into the distance at a slightly crooked pole on top of a building, held up by a single support beam. It was a few miles away, but it was the best chance they had at getting rescued.

Ruby looked up at Jaune, who was still taller than her by only inches. "Sounds like a plan to me."

 **Thought i'd throw in some Ruby and Jaune moments to mix it up a little. Hope you enjoyed! This will probably be longer than the other multiple-chapter stories simply because it involves a lot of story with it. :)**


	33. The Aftermath, Part Four

"How did I get chosen to do this?!" Jaune asked himself as he nearly fell from the open second floor, two of the four walls completely gone. The wooden floor was on a slant towards the empty space, Jaune, trying to stay as far away from it as possible. He clung to the window frame and stuck his upper body through it, staring down at the two women staring up at him twelve feet down. It seemed a lot higher than it was, especially since it felt like it would collapse at a gust of the wind.

"It was your plan." Weiss informed Jaune, who clung to the opening in the wall. He stuck his hand into a crack in the wall which scaled the side of the building. He slowly got the rest of his body out of the window and held onto it for dear life. Jaune slowly climbed up the side of the ruin, hoping it didn't decide to give way under his weight. It was a good thing he didn't weigh too much and didn't become a bodybuilder, Jaune mused.

"Careful Jaune!" Ruby gasped lightly as the ledge he clung to broke from the rest of the structure and fell onto his back, earning a grunt from Jaune. He quickly regained his handling and lifted himself onto the roof.

"Hurry, I think I can hear an Ursa coming!" Weiss and Ruby ducked. "We'll be close by, just hook up the Scroll!" She and Ruby darted into a nearby building and took cover behind a shelf as a group of Ursa's made their way through the street, Jaune prone on the roof to keep them from seeing him. He slowly turned and army crawled towards the radio tower, which looked like it would fall onto him at any moment. Jaune brought out his scroll and opened it up, staring down at the four pictures on it in shock.

Jaune had left his team viewer up and saw that they all had green bars. But, Pyrrha's health bar was lower than the others. Jaune hoped she hadn't been hurt. It was good news to at least see he had his team alive. He minimized the team viewer and brought up the settings, opening the fuse box to the tower and hooking it up with a few sparks here and there. Jaune wasn't an electrical engineer, so he decided to flip the large red lever and see if that did anything. It did, alright.

A surge of electricity made it's way up the tower before reaching the top and dissipating into thin air. Jaune guessed he powered it up correctly. He quickly typed out a message.

 _My name is Jaune Arc, I am currently inside of Vale with Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. We are stuck in Vale and require rescue. If anyone else is getting this message, make your way to the Beacon tower and we will regroup there._

He sent the message, and prayed it worked. He kept the Scroll connected and sat there, hoping salvation was on its way for Ruby and Weiss' sake. They had been alone for four years. Jaune didn't doubt they had shared some interesting moments together, being the only two around each other. Sharing fits of insanity probably made their friendship that much more durable now.

After a few minutes of waiting, Jaune's Scroll buzzed in his pocket. With a sudden urge to check it, he pulled out his phone and examined the message.

 _I plan on being there. Thank you for the information. -Cinder Fall._

Jaune swallowed and wasn't sure what to think of it. Had Cinder really gotten his message? Was she still inside the city? His phone buzzed again, and another message revealed itself.

 _This is General Ironwood, We are within proximity of you and are redirecting one of our ships to retrieve you inside of Vale. Stay where you are and await extraction._

Jaune silently thanked himself for the brilliant idea and disconnected the Scroll from the tower. It made an ominous creak and Jaune felt he should leave before it fell over. Jaune checked the street, making sure it had been clear of Ursa before making his way back down. He backtracked every step he could as he slowly made his way back through the window.

"Any word from the outside?" Ruby asked, making her way out of the rubble.

"Yeah," Jaune said as he stepped down from building, dusting himself off. "Ironwood has a ship coming for us... And Cinder got the message too. She got the message." Weiss and Ruby both eyed each other before looking back at Jaune.

"Can we fight her? Can we win?" Ruby asked, not as confident as she was when the mission first started.

"I'm sure we can find a way to beat her. After all, she can't take all three of us on at once. It's systematically impossible. You can't fight a war on two fronts y'know, let alone three."

"But Cinder is extremely powerful. I don't even think Pyrrha could fight her and live to tell about it." Jaune added.

"Well, we have no choice. Where is it picking us up at?"

"Beacon Tower." Jaune nodded his head in the direction they needed to go in. They all exchanged uneasy looks before darting off towards the tower. They moved cautiously and quickly, making sure not to attract any unwanted attention as they neared the landing zone. When it got within sight of team JWR (Makeshift, Jaune knows, but he had to call them something,) they slowed down and brought out their weapons. They made their way to the site and checked the open area, with a surprisingly small amount of Grimm. There almost didn't seem to be any.

"Alright, all we need to do is wait for an airship to arrive and we'll be out of here." Ruby almost jumped at the anticipation of seeing more people.

"Just pay attention and don't get too sloppy. If something attacks we need to be well aware." Weiss ordered, keeping her eyes sharp.

"Let's just pray it gets here before Cinder does." Jaune checked left and right. Nothing. It was almost too quiet.

And that's when a sharp gasp to Jaune's left and a bone chilling voice caught his thoughts. "Oh, it already appears to be too late." Cinder's voice spoke. Jaune looked left and saw Cinder, standing tall as Weiss dropped to the ground in front of her, Cinder's dagger stained with Weiss' blood. Ruby's eyes widened and Jaune took a step back.

"Weiss!" They both cried out.

"So close, yet so far." Cinder grinned evilly, her minions showing up everywhere around them. Weiss seemed to be gasping for breath as the airship's engines came quietly into earshot.

 **So since my amazing friend patleon909 was the only one to voice his opinion, I shall do some smutty stuff in the future. Also, kind of filler but with a much more... exciting ending than the last one ;) Hope this is better Pat. And most of all, I hope you enjoyed!**


	34. The Aftermath, Part Five

Jaune readied himself for Cinder's attack, but it didn't help at all. She broke through Jaune's block and kicked him back a couple of feet. He collapsed onto the ground and stood up slowly, his legs failing him. "Jaune, get Weiss, I'll hold off Cinder!" Ruby held out her sniper rife and began firing shots at Cinder, who was easily dodging them as she made her way towards Ruby. Jaune went over to Weiss, who had a stab wound through her abdomen.

"Weiss!" Jaune held up her head, hoping she hadn't died.

"J-Jaune?" Weiss' voice was quiet and fading, like her voice was being drained from her as she spoke. "What are you doing? Help... Help Ruby!" She tried to convince Jaune to go fight Cinder with her friend. Weiss felt it was too late for her. She bled over Jaune's hand, which wasn't a good sign obviously.

"I can't just leave you!" Jaune stated, praying she would hang on.

"We'll all die if you don't get rid of-" She took a moment to breathe in sharply and coughed, "Get rid of Cinder!" The sound of the airships engines in the distance were a good sign. Weiss just needed to stay alive for a little longer.

"You have to hang on, Weiss. I don't want to lose you." Jaune tried to tell her.

"I don't spend four years of my life in the woods to die you dolt," Weiss was still sassy, which was a good sign. Maybe she could just... keep it up until the ship got here. He only had a matter of time. Jaune laid Weiss back down on the concrete and stood, drawing his weapon and charging at Cinder. When Ruby noticed this, she backed up and began fighting Cinder defensively.

"What about Weiss?!" Ruby cried out, expertly dodging Cinder's attacks.

"She'll live, we just need to wait it out!" Jaune began to jab strikes at Cinder, the two of them expertly handling Cinder. She was seeming to drain energy, her attacks become slower. Eventually Ruby went back on the offensive and the three battled it out until it was impossible to hear each other over the sound of the airship. When it came into view, the large cruiser had its main cannon aimed directly at the three of them.

"You're all pathetic." Cinder dodged Ruby's attack and kicked up, knocking the scythe away before extending her dagger forward. It cut Ruby's cheek and soon Cinder began to gain the upper hand, with Jaune frantically trying to help.

"Put down your weapons and await further instructions." The ship's captain spoke into the radio, which transmitted the message through the speakers on the hull of the ship. "Or we will fire upon you."

Jaune had stepped away from Cinder and Ruby tried to get away from her, expertly dodging her attacks and slowly backing away from her. Now, Cinder was the only one wit ha weapon.

"Fire!" The captain commanded, and the main cannon fired off a burst of the cannon directly at the three fighting. When it hit the ground, a large explosion threw the three of them off of their feet and onto the ground. Jaune was in a daze as he tried to stand up, looking around for the others. Cinder was no where to be seen, and Ruby was on the ground. She wasn't making any noise at all, and Jaune couldn't tell if she was dead or not, his vision was too blurry and his ears rang too loud. He slowly made his way towards her and checked Ruby.

She had bits of debris, rock and glass shards all over her body. She was crying out in pain, although Jaune couldn't hear it. His left shoulder was hurting badly, but he knew he needed to keep his eyes on Weiss and Ruby.

Weiss!

Jaune turned and saw Weiss, who was surrounded in a puddle of blood. He wasn't sure who to go for; Ruby or Weiss. But before he could make that decision, an Atlas guard had stunned him with a stun baton. Jaune fell to his knees, seeing the rescue ships landing to retrieve them and take them to the large cruiser in the sky. Jaune's eyes slowly closed and he collapsed on the ground.

When he woke up, Jaune realized he was in a cell. A medical bed had been moved into a holding cell, where two armed guards stood on watch. When they noticed he was awake, they called over someone else, who opened the gate and stepped in.

"Hello there young lad, I am Captain George Gil Martin, the commander of the fine vessel you are currently floating on."

"Where's Weiss? And Ruby?"

"If you're talking about the two girls, then... I'm not sure what to tell you. The white haired one died before we retrieved her. As for the red one, she's in a lot of pain right now."

"Well then why did you fire at us?!" Jaune questioned after a moment of silence. The shock of Weiss being deceased didn't hit him, so he decided to question more before the toll fell on him.

"We saw three armed combatants fighting to the death. Our job is to pacify all conflict in the area. That canon is out way of solving conflict."

"And you got an innocent girl killed because of it!" The captain sighed.

"Sometimes sacrifices are necessary. The other, black haired girl is fine, though. She's in the next cell over if you want to see her." Jaune frowned, realizing they had picked up Cinder as well.

"You need to contain her, now! That's Cinder Fall, she's the on who destroyed Beacon!"

"Nonsense, that woman couldn't hurt a fly. As clueless as a child. She's exploring the brig now, one of my officers are showing her around after we realized she was harmless." Jaune got out of bed, his shoulder spiking with pain.

"She's going to kill everyone!" Jaune stated, as a loud explosion from the front of the ship sent both Captain Gil Martin and Jaune into the wall.

"I'm sorry Mr. Martin, but you're ship has just been seized." Cinder's dark voice rang through the ships intercom.


	35. The Aftermath, Part Six

Captain Gil Martin jumped back up, "This is impossible, she's just a girl!"

"Put the sexism aside and embrace the fact that she just took over your ship." Jaune said, his voice dripping with sass. He got back up onto his feet and they made their way out of the cell. It looked like a war zone; people were creaming for help and clutching onto anything they could to keep from getting thrown around mercilessly. Gil Martin and Jaune slowly progressed towards the bridge.

"We need to check on Ruby first!" Jaune argued. He was distraught over the thought of Weiss being gone forever. And the fact that Ruby could follow didn't excite him either.

"There's no time, boy! We need to regain control of the ship or we'll all end up like your white headed friend!" Jaune growled as they made their way forward. People were screaming and sirens were thrown into the mix and random missiles began to launch from the ship and direct themselves back at it, blasting large holes in the side of the ship. "We're close to Atlas, so if we crash land, the survivors can make their way there."

When they made their way to the bridge, Cinder stood in the center of all the chaos with a small grin.

"Oh, captain, I'm so sorry! The big red button looked so intimidating, I just had to see what it was." She stepped closer to them, unfazed by the incline at which the ship was flying on.

"You're lying! The button to launch the missiles is _yellow_ , not _red!_ You _are_ lying!" Gil Martin brought out a sidearm and began firing shots at her, in which Cinder seemed to easily dodge She took cover behind a console, and when she emerged, she had a bow in her hand. Jaune's reflexes were quick enough that he dodged the arrow shot at him, but the second arrow she shot hit Gil Martin directly in the chest. He collapsed back against the wall, holding the arrow as it seemed to burn.

"Martin!" Jaune called out, and when he turned back to Cinder, she had jumped over the console and kicked Jaune square in the chest. He went flying back and hit the main controls, which inverted the ship completely. It slowly migrated to float upside down, and anything that wasn't anchored to the floor fell to the roof, including the three bodies inside the bridge. Jaune hit his head on the roof and groaned, slowly standing back up.

"Soon, I'll find that little whore of yours and kill her, too. As well as the brat, Rose." Cinder conjured up the bow again, and got ready to fire it, but stopped at the sound of a loud pop. Jaune turned, and saw that Gil Martin had fired a shot into Cinder's abdomen. The bow disintegrated and she collapsed, staring up at Gil Martin, who could barely breathe.

"That's for my ship!" He coughed up. "Jaune, get somewhere safe, now!" He pointed his pistol at the window, which seemed to have a large building heading straight for it. Had they already arrived at Atlas? Jaune didn't have time to think. He silently thanked Gil Martin, even if he did cause all of this, and jumped up and out of the inverted door. He collapsed under a desk that landed straight up on the roof and prepared himself for the crash. Everything seemed to brighten up and his vision was blurred, before going completely black and silent.

When Jaune's eyes opened again, he was in a very odd position. He seemed to be floating to the ceiling (Which was technically the floor, since the ship was upside down,) while everything else was destroyed beneath him. And that's when he realized that a metal pole was holding him up to the roof, sticking through his shoulder. Ouch.

Jaune winced in pain and reached his free hand up, inching himself off of the metal beam with a groan of agony. He knew things were going to get worse before they got better. He pulled himself completely off of the beam, and fell ten feet to the rubble beneath him. He landed hard, which knocked the wind out of him. It didn't help that his shoulder felt like it was about to fall off.

When Jaune stood back up, he slowly stepped into the bridge. It somehow looked even worse than before. Gil Martin and Cinder were no where t obe seen, but there was a lot of blood. He could see out of the window that sirens were making their way towards him, and there was more rubble than from the ship. The building must've collapsed as well.

"Help!" He heard the faint cry of a high pitched, familiar voice.

"Ruby!" He cried out, holding his shoulder. "Where are you?!" He asked.

"In here!" The voice came from out in the hallway. Jaune slowly stepped out of the bridge and looked around, hearing another whimper come from one of the rooms. As he entered it, he was immediately punched in the face and fell to the ground, holding his nose.

"Ow!" He cried out. Cinder stood above him, her shirt stained with blood.

"You're so easy to fool." She snickered. Behind her was a large hole in the side of the ship, where the outside world could be seen. They had made it to Atlas, and a crowd had formed, watching Cinder stand over Jaune. The sirens were still too far away to save him. Cinder brought something out; Gil Martin's pistol. Crap.

"Why are you doing this?!" Jaune asked, feeling the weight of the barrel aimed at his head.

"It's simple, you see. I simply want to-" She was cut off when a blur of red moved past her, Cinder's expression replaced with shock and horror. Ruby appeared behind her, facing away with her Scythe in hand. Soon, A thin red line trickled from Cinder's abdomen. Her top half slowly slid off of her legs, and she fell to the ground in two, bloody pieces. The sound of Cinder still gasping for breath was mortifying, and Jaune couldn't look as the breath escaped her for the last time.

"R-Ruby?" Jaune asked, his nose bleeding all over his clothes. He could barely sit up.

"She's caused too much pain. She didn't deserve to live through it." She chimed, her voice breaking as the sirens showed up. Policeman began showing up all over the place, taking Ruby away before any more words could be exchanged, and Jaune soon fell unconscious from blood loss.


	36. The Aftermath, Finale

Jaune was happily eating Jello in his hospital bed, the fourth one he had been in, in a two day span. Every time Jaune got in a bed, he felt like he wanted to spring up and do a marathon. He always wanted to get out of a hospital bed, and of course, he kept getting hurt whenever he was able to get out of it. Cinder was dead, it was officially over. They had no competition to retake Beacon, and all it took was killing all of the Grimm and rebuilding the structures. Of course, that would still take decades to complete.

When he finished his food, Jaune decided to set down the empty cup on the bedside table and catch up on some much needed R&R. Of course, right before he dozed off, the hospital room door opened. "He's right in there." A nurse spoke. Jaune decided t keep his eyes squinted to make it look like he was sleeping. He wasn't ready to talk to the cops yet. He was too exhausted. But instead of hearing a scruffy, deep voice calling for him to wake up, there was a simple, light gasp. Jaune opened one eye up enough to see who it was... Nora. Ren was right behind her, both of them in momentary shock.

"Jaune!" Nora cried out quietly, rushing over to his bedside. She grabbed his arm and began to sob into it. "We thought you were dead, you stupid... Ignorant little... Brat!" Nora felt a range of emotions, she hadn't seen the team leader in four years, and had moved on from his passing. But of course, Nora still had the feeling he could be out there. Ren showed up in his vision behind her, simply looking down at Jaune.

"I can't believe it." He spoke softly. Both of their voices were deeper, since they were four years older. Nora seemed to be able to control herself a little better than their time at Beacon. When Jaune finally opened his eyes fully, he had realized that Nora had a short ponytail, and Ren's was gone. They had basically the same outfits as their time at Beacon, but their faces were much for detailed and harder with the look of adults.

"Jaune!" They both cried and enveloped him in a big hug.

"Okay, okay, windpipe, can't... Breathe..." Jaune told them, but they didn't let up. They had a lot to catch up on. When they finally pulled away, Jaune asked a question Nora was expecting. "Where's Pyrrha?" Nora and Ren exchanged glances, before looking back down at Jaune.

"Well... We didn't tell her, because... We didn't want her to see you like this?" Nora made up. "She's, uh, she's been very busy the past couple of years..."

"Well, is she in the city? Can I go see her when I get out?"

"You can... But wouldn't you rather see the pretty flowers by the port?" Nora tried swaying his mind, which threw Jaune off.

"What's wrong, Nora?"

"Nothing, never mind." She sighed. "Yang has been missing ever since the fall of Beacon, as well as Neptune. But the rest of the gang made it here in one piece. I guess we should expect them to show up any day now too." Nora tried perking up a bit. They talked all about how the past few years went by, Jaune explaining his odd situation with his semblance. They seemed surprised at first but quickly adapted to the news.

When Jaune was finally released from the hospital two days later, he immediately sought out Pyrrha. His love interest ever since the ball he had attended five years ago, even though it was only about a week for Jaune. Ren and Nora accompanied him, and they planned to meet Pyrrha at the docks by the sea. It was a new city with new places, and Jaune was completely unfamiliar with it all. According to Ren, Pyrrha had no clue Jaune was back and Blake was the one who brought her along to the docks to meet Jaune with Pyrrha, as well as Sun. The only one who didn't know about this special meeting was Pyrrha and Sun, and for very good reason.

When Jaune got there, Pyrrha had already arrived with Sun and Blake. The faunus was the first to spot them, smiling brightly for the first time to see Jaune, but giving no acknowledgement to the other two, who talked together by the water. Jaune strode with purpose toward his friends, speeding past Ren and Nora, who sat back and waited for the news to drop.

Jaune snuck up behind Pyrrha, a wide grin on his face. Sun saw him and blinked, not believing his eyes and unable to say his name. Sun seemed to be growing a beard, and his shirt was actually buttoned for once. Jaune placed a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, eager to see his best friend and love interest for the first time in what seemed like forever.

When Pyrrha turned around at Jaune's touch, Pyrrha's mouth dropped open and she backed away from Jaune slowly. She couldn't muster the words, not believing her eyes. "Hey there, Pyrrha." Jaune grinned like an idiot. Pyrrha's hair was in its usual style, and she hadn't seemed to change her outfit much, but there was one major change; the sash around her waist was gone, only the black skirt and metal bracers on her legs.

"J...Jaune?" Pyrrha breathed after a few moments. Jaune wrapped her in a hug, to which Pyrrha froze at. Why wasn't she hugging him back? She hadn't seen him for four years! She should be happy to see him!

"Is something wrong, Pyrrha? You look like you've seen a ghost." Jaune joked as he pulled away. "There's something I wanted to tell you the night of the ball a couple years ago.. I love you, Pyrrha Nikos. And I can't contain my feelings for you anymore. How about we catch up over some coffee huh?" Jaune suggested confidently. He had prepared that speech for days now. To this, both Sun and Pyrrha exchanged looks, while Nora and Ren winced from the background.

"Uh, Jaune..." Pyrrha exclaimed, not able to meet his eyes. "I-I would love to, but... Jaune, there's no easy way to put this." Pyrrha noticeably began to tear up, which confused Jaune even more. "Sun and I are engaged." The words didn't seem to register with Jaune right away. But when he finally understood, the words hit him like a train.

"Wh-what?" Jaune questioned, in shock. "H-how? Why? When?"

"Jaune," Pyrrha said sternly, with Sun looking down at the ground. "You've been dead, for four years. I cried my eyes out every night for you, praying that you'd show up at my door. But you never came. Eventually, my tears dried up. You weren't coming back and I had to accept that. It was like... I was waiting for my prince charming to save me from my tower, but never came. I moved on, Jaune." She must've thought that she was being too serious, so she added in, "We can still be friends though, Jaune." Her voice was harsh and monotone. She had been waiting for four years for Jaune, who never showed up until after she had gotten over his death. He felt like god was mocking him in some way. _This is how your life ends, boy. With everyone wishing you were still dead. Oh, but you still have some of your friends at least!_ He imagined an imaginary god laughing at him.

Jaune looked over at Sun, who shrugged slowly. "I'm sorry, bro." Jaune took a moment to stare into Pyrrha's eyes, who stared right back at his. There was no way he could've lived from that. Jaune felt the tears coming on, and decided he should leave before he caused any more drama He didn't want them to see him cry, so he turned on his heel and left. He dropped the rose on the ground, no one stopping Jaune. They all felt terrible inside, especially Ren and Nora. Why couldn't things just be happy for everyone? Why did someone always have to get hurt for others to be happy?

But before Jaune got far enough away, he began glowing again. The same bright yellow light shone through his skin, and he began levitating in the air. No one even had time to say anything; in seconds, Jaune flashed and dissipated in an instant. When Jaune opened his eyes again, he was standing in a dress in the ball room, students all around him dancing with their dates. Pyrrha stood in front of him, they were both dancing to a slow song together. She had her head on his chest.

"Tonight has been amazing, Jaune." Pyrrha informed him tiredly, worn out from their dancing earlier. Jaune realized that he was back at the dance, and Pyrrha wasn't with Sun. He quickly recapped on everything that he had found out; Beacon destroyed, the love of his life was over him and in love with someone else, one of his friends was killed, one of his friends was wounded, and two more were missing. Jaune couldn't let that happen again. Jaune knew that if everything he found out was destined to happen, he would be prepared this time. "Jaune?" Pyrrha looked up at him.

"Yeah?" He asked, waking from his daydreaming.

"I never want this night to end."

"I don't want it to either, Pyrrha..." Jaune said, conjuring up exactly how he would save the day, keep his friends alive, save Beacon, and get the girl all at once. "I don't either."

 **And that was The Aftermath! I hope you enjoyed, even though the ending was pretty sad with the whole _Pyrrha doesn't love Jaune anymore_ theme at the end, but dramatic flare is always good! And hey, now Jaune knows he can save Beacon and all his friends! I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading so far!**


	37. Jaune's Worst Nightmare

Jaune groaned as he woke up, his eyes not wanting to comply with his orders to open them. The ceiling was all Jaune could see as he remained still, not wishing to wake up yet. But he knew if he stayed in any later, he would be late for class. So, almost simultaneously with Pyrrha, got out of bed. But she had much more of a pep in her step when she did. She stretched with her back bones stretching against her skin through her pajamas, standing up soon after and grabbing her clothes.

Jaune payed close attention to his crush, who seemed to do everything in her life photogenically. She always looked perfect in any situation; she could have been shot in the chest and disintegrated, and Jaune believed she would still look picturesque as she died. But Jaune didn't like to think about Pyrrha dying, so he decided to switch his mind to what she was doing now.

She let out a small groan as she reached into her closet and grabbed her everyday attire, the chest piece and leggings glistening in the sunlight that shone through the window. Everything about her was perfect; why was she so amazing? Jaune looked over at her other, sleeping teammates; they also looked quiet picturesque as the slept, but nowhere close to how amazing Pyrrha always seemed to be.

He hadn't realized he was staring at Pyrrha, who had noticed Jaune was awake and was looking back at him. "Jaune?" She asked. "Is there something wrong?" She asked, wondering why he was staring. Jaune blushed slightly and looked away.

"Sorry, just, uh... admiring your... armor." He made up, earning him a look from Pyrrha.

"My armor?" She looked down at the breastplate. "Well... Thank you, I suppose." Pyrrha looked back down at Jaune, who was now getting his things to get dressed for the day. Pyrrha thought he was acting specifically weird, so she confronted him about it. "What were you really looking at, Jaune?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Jaune let out a sigh and turned to face her. "I'm in love with you Pyrrha, and I couldn't stop staring at you. I need you to be more than a friend with me, Pyrrha. Please, will you go with me to save the world and kiss on a unicorn at sundown?" He asked, and somehow managed to have his shirt ripped down the center, his six pack showing.

"Oh, Jaune, just take me now." Pyrrha swooned, throwing off her top for him.

And right before the top slipped over her breasts, he woke up. Jaune groaned again, staring up at the same ceiling he had just faced in his dream. And then he realized something else; Pyrrha was also in his vision. She was standing over him, a frown on her face as she stared down at him.

"Huh...?" Jaune asked, confused as to what he did wrong this time. Pyrrha simply crossed her arms and glared down at him.

"What where you dreaming about, Jauney-Boy?" Pyrrha asked harshly. Jaune was slightly confused. Did she know? If she did, how did she know?

"Um... Um... I was dreaming about, uh, flying around Vale and beating up bad guys, why?" He lied, blushing slightly. Pyrrha shook her head disapprovingly.

"Is that why you were calling out my name in your sleep?" She snapped, pointing at his crotch. He frowned, and followed her finger to which... there was a bump in his pajamas. Oh, god.

"Ah!" He quickly covered himself. "Pyrrha, I am so, so sorry-" But he was cut off when, once again, he seemed to wake up again. He found himself once again, opening his eyes with a groan, staring up at Pyrrha, who was now on his lap. He was just as confused as he had been in the past two times he woke up in the same spot. Pyrrha was in only her undergarment, which was extremely awkward for Jaune and his pants-problem.

"P-Pyrrha?!" He was wide awake, wondering what was wrong with her.

"Oh, Jaune," She spoke in a flirtatious voice. "I need you, now. Please, just... A little peak..." SHe began, but Jaune knew all too well hat he was about to wake up again from the same dream that seemed to be recurring over and over again. WHat was going on in his head? He awaited himself to once again wake up, but it didn't seem to happen.

"Uh..." He spoke, slightly confused.

"What is it, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"What's going on here?" His voice was cracking and his lip was quivering as he continued to wonder what was going on. "Why are you on me? A-and where are your clothes?!"

"Shh," She told him, placing a finger on his lips. "No talking. Just love." She leaned down and began to kiss him. He closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, not believing this was happening.

But, just like that, he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, once more. He looked around the room for Pyrrha, but she was no where in sight. He was awaiting an over-sexualized Pyrrha to pop out at him, but it never came. Was he actually awake? He pinched himself quickly to make sure he wasn't dreaming. When he felt the pain, he knew he was finally awake and groaned. Once again, he had to hide his hands in his lap to keep from flashing his other teammates, who were currently getting ready. Where was Pyrrha though?

"Jaune!" Pyrrha's voice rang heavenly through the door as she opened it up, stepping into their dorm. "It's time to go, c'mon! We're going to be late!" She pointed to the mounted clock, which showed that their class was starting as they spoke. He cursed in his mind and groaned. Jaune was about to throw the covers off and stand up, when he realized what was still going on in his pants.

 _Crap._

Jaune blushed deeply, staying where he was with his hands in his lap. Ren and Nora were still getting ready with Pyrrha awaiting the rest of her team."Just go on without us Pyrrha, we'll catch up with you." Jaune tried to tell her.

"Nope," She replied simply. "We arrive late to class as a team, or not at all." _Curse her for being such a good team player._ How was he supposed to get passed this? The more he tried not to think about it, his mind just kept looping back to his dreams. He was staring at his outfit which hung on his dresser on the other side of the room. There was no way he was going to get there without his friends noticing. It wasn't going away, and his thoughts weren't helping.

"Seriously guys, I'll be right behind you." His voice broke on the last word, getting a look from his team.

"Jaune, what could _possibly_ be wrong?" Nora asked. Jaune swallowed his pride, knowing that he couldn't take another tardy for class without being kicked out. He had to face up to his mistake.

"Guys..." He began, turning tomato red. "We will _never_ speak of this. _Ever_. Not. A. Soul." Jaune took off the blankets and stood up, not daring to look down as he walked to his suit, throwing it on quickly. Ren looked away the second he realized, not taking any part in it. He simply left the room.

"I don't see what's the prob-" Nora was cut off when she finally noticed, gasping. _"Jaune!"_ She laughed maniacally, tossing a pillow at him with a small wink before leaving the room as well. When Jaune turned to see Pyrrha, she was blushing tomato red, her hand covering her mouth as she tried to look away.

"J-Jaune, I'm sorry for staring, just..." She turned.

" _Not. A. Word_." He said to her. "We _need_ to get to class." He began, swallowing his pride once more and racing out of the room with Pyrrha in tow. Needless to say, team JNPR had acted very strange for the rest of the day. Nora made constant suggestive jokes involving Jaune's problem earlier that day, Ren remained completely, utterly silent, and Pyrrha was blushing throughout the entire day. She hadn't answered a single question in any of her classes, which was very unusual for her. But something was on her mind, keeping her from paying attention at all.

Was Jaune thinking about her?

 **So yeah, thought I'd slowly make my way into smutty things rather than jump straight into it. Boom! Hope you enjoyed (I know someone will *stares at Jaune suggestively*) Bye!**


	38. Pyrrha's Worst Nightmare

Jaune had just gotten back from his last class of the day, groaning loudly as he collapsed onto his bed. Today was especially exhausting, just like every Monday was. Not only was it the first day after their break every weekend, but he had almost no classes with Pyrrha on that day. There was no one to help him out whenever the teachers asked him questions, no one to talk to during the lectures, and no one to get in trouble with for making her laugh with his goofy and stupid jokes.

 _Mondays were the worst._

Jaune noticed that not a single member of his team was in the dorm room. Where were they? Jaune's last class of the day was on the other side of Beacon, which means he would usually get to the dorm last. Ren was almost always first, then Pyrrha, then Nora and finally him. He was also a slow walker, which made him take especially longer to arrive at the dorm. So why was no one here?

"Hey Jaune!" Nora waved as she came out from her under Ren's bed.

"Oh, uh, hey...?" Jaune was confused as to why she was under Ren's bed.

"If you're wondering," Nora had seen the confusion in Jaune's face. "I'm gonna scare Ren when he gets back."

"Where is he, anyway? And Pyrrha?"

"No clue," Nora spoke in her normal, peppy voice. "But I'll scare Ren when he gets on his bed." She gave a coy smile before disappearing under the shadow of the bed. Jaune let out a small chuckle as he looked back up at the ceiling. He was doing that a lot lately. Staring at ceilings in both his dreams (Which he still had of Pyrrha; He needed to calm down with the fantasies,) and real life. He was always trying to relax. This school was taking a toll on him physically. He obviously wasn't meant to be here; But Jaune wasn't going to give up. He had people to impress, and girls to swoon. And by girls, Jaune meant girl.

Pyrrha. Why was she so interesting to Jaune? She was his addiction, and simply seeing her face supplied him the best feeling drug of all; love. Of course, the burn after the high, realizing he may never get her, was the worst part. It was like staring at a celebrity every day and praying they'd ask you out. Jaune knew it would never happen. What does Jaune have to offer? Relatively no combat experience, a crappy weapon, no awesome muscles to swoon her with... He had nothing special for Pyrrha to want him for.

Jaune decided to go splash some water on his face to wake him up. He had taken a nap right after school for the past week, and vowed to break the chain today. He got up from his bed and sighed, opening the door to the bathroom. When the door swung open, Jaune's mouth dropped. Pyrrha must've just gotten out of the shower when he arrived. She had been getting ready in the bathroom for the past couple of minutes; and Jaune couldn't help but stare.

Her red underwear clung to her hips, wet from the moisture she had on her skin from the shower. Pyrrha was wrapping her hair up in a towel, and as she got her hair ready to go into the turban, she bent over and wrapped it around her head. Jaune's nose began to bleed, and he hadn't even noticed. The way the muscles in her legs worked at holding her steady as she bent over in the opposite direction, every strand of muscle working like a perfect machine up to... Crap. Was Jaune staring? It wasn't even that he wanted to; he was just... caught. Blindsided by this sudden view. He had seen more than he needed; Jaune would be happy just seeing her in her underwear. But when she stood up after successfully wrapping the towel around her head, he realized she had no top on, and she was facing him directly.

After a few quick seconds of his eyes getting caught on her chest, Jaune's eyes met Pyrrha's, both of their's wide and bewildered. _"Jaune!"_ She cried out, covering her ample chest. "What're you doing?!" She asked, her face turning as red as her hair. Jaune blinked rapidly, trying his absolute hardest from staring at her. But she was _Pyrrha Nikos_. The most beautiful girl in the entire world. Who _wouldn't_ stare a few extra seconds if they had the chance? "Get out!" She cried, throwing a brush at Jaune. It his his chest and Jaune stumbled back.

"Sorry-! I'm- I am... Jeez, I didn't mean to!" He tried wiping off the blood from his nose, and Pyrrha slammed the door in his face. Jaune had seen more of his teammate in six seconds than he did in the past year. _Nice one,_ Jaune thought to himself. Were the six seconds worth possibly ruining their friendship over? Jaune contemplated, his head in the clouds as his brain processed the latest information on his companion.

Nora rolled out from under the bed, "Oh yeah, Jaune," Nora giggled lightly. "Pyrrha's in the shower." She blatantly spoke, followed by another mischievous smile before rolling back under the bed. What had just happened would probably not leave Jaune's mind for at least another ten years. That was the second awkward encounter the team had shared in the past week; just last Thursday he had to get changed in front of his team with a hard-on. It was an honest mistake this time, though. How could he have known Pyrrha was in the shower? _Oh well_ , Jaune thought.

 _Mondays are the best._

Pyrrha had shut the door on Jaune, not wanting to let go of herself. Had Jaune meant to peek at her? Was this planned, or was he just trying to use the bathroom? Pyrrha didn't want a single word of this leaving the dorm room, so she knew she wouldn't bring it up anywhere after she got dressed. At least he hadn't seen what she was doing _in_ the shower. If he had seen that, he would probably faint.

But... Why didn't Pyrrha react to Jaune faster, she wondered. She had the reflexes of a cheetah, she could dodge a bullet at a moments notice if she needed to. So why did she react to poorly to this situation? Shock could've been a factor... Pyrrha really needed to keep her feelings in check.

 _Oh well,_ Pyrrha thought. _Maybe that'll just make him realize his feelings for me._

 **More awkward scenes, yeah! *Cheer for sexual tension* Two times in one week, what else could happen in a months time? ;) Hopefully Pyrrha doesn't die. Who knows, this could be happening the day before the Vytal Festival? Hehe. Stay turned to find out!**


	39. Arkos Shares A Shower

"Harder, Jaune!" Pyrrha cried out, feeling his weight press against her. She was impressed with him; he had grown much more confident and stronger from their first time. "C'mon, harder!" She let out a grunt, feeling Jaune pound into her.

"I'm going as hard as I can!" Jaune told her. He leaned over her, their hot breaths warming up the other's cheeks. Their lips were close to touching, their bodies pressed together.

"Remember what I told you about weak spots!" Pyrrha reminded him with a small grunt, feeling him press even harder than before.

"Oh, right!" He shifted slightly and continued his movements against her until finally, Pyrrha let loose. She couldn't take it anymore, Jaune was just too good.

"Ah!" Pyrrha groaned loudly as she fell to the ground with her sword and shield clattering on the ground beside her. Jaune stood triumphantly, proud of himself for taking down Pyrrha. He held out a hand to his partner and let Pyrrha stand up with his help. She smiled up at him.

"Well done, Jaune! Your swordplay has improved immensely!" Pyrrha noted and gave Jaune a pat on the shoulder.

"D'oh, stop it you." He giggled, blushing. "I'm not that great. You taught me everything I know." The teammates gave each other a smile of appreciation.

"C'mon, let's get inside, it's starting to get cold out." Pyrrha offered, putting away her weapons and walking with Jaune inside. They entered the JNPR dorm and began to get ready for bed. Jaune had on his normal bunny pajamas, and Pyrrha wore a red tank top and black compression shorts.

"I'll be in the shower, Jaune." Pyrrha told him sternly with a small chuckle, disappearing into the bathroom. Jaune blushed deeply at the remark to the time he accidentally walked in on Pyrrha half naked. A minute didn't go by where he wasn't thinking about that moment. It felt wrong to think of his teammate like that. After everything she's done for him, he takes a peak at her in the bathroom and doesn't stop thinking about it?

Nora, who was at her desk, giggled at the remark as well. She was present when the accident happened. Ren gave a confused look to his team, not bothering to ask what was so funny. He simply went back to his writing. Jaune sat down on his bed and began checking his Scroll, looking through his messages before a request to video chat showed up on his phone. He frowned, realizing it was from Pyrrha. But she had just gotten into the shower, so why was she inviting him to a call, he wondered.

"I'll be in the shower, Jaune." Pyrrha told him sternly with a small chuckle, disappearing into the bathroom. She shut the door and sighed, turning the handle and pulling the plug which started the hot shower. Smoke arose from the opening at the top of the shower. She pulled off her tank top and bra, setting them down on the counter besides the sink and pulled off her compression shorts and underwear. She made sure to pull her Scroll out of her pocket and tossed it onto her shirt which rested on the counter, not realizing that she had accidentally pressed Jaune's contact in the process. Pyrrha finished with pulling out the hair tie. Her hair fell down her back and shoulders, and Pyrrha stepped into the hot water closing the clear glass door to the shower.

Jaune stared down at his Scroll, then at the bathroom door, then back at his Scroll. Jaune clicked the green accept button, and Jaune's face popped up in the corner of the screen, and their bathroom appeared on his phone. It was hard for Jaune to realize what he was looking at through the fog, but eventually it cleared up slightly and Pyrrha was easily visible in the shower. Jaune's eyes widened and nearly dropped his phone, but got control of it. This earned him a look from Ren and Nora.

"What's wrong?" Nora asked.

"N-Nothings wrong!" Jaune said making sure to turn his phone so the two couldn't see the screen. Jaune could've easily pressed the hang up button whenever he wanted. But a third time? Jaune figured this was a sign. He promised himself just a couple of seconds and he would end the call. He made sure to promise that for himself. He felt wrong for staring at Pyrrha. Did she even know her Scroll was on?

Pyrrha was busy lathering her skin with her hands, reaching every part of her body in the process. Jaune squinted and stared at the screen, three seconds, four seconds, five, six... He finally decided to hang up on the call at the ten second mark. Jaune had to stay under the blanket for a while after that in order to keep from having a repeat of the time he stood in front of his team with a hard-on. Pyrrha never learned that Jaune had seen her in the shower that day. Nora and Ren had no clue either.

It was Jaune's little secret. But of course, a few days after that, while Jaune was getting ready to take a shower, Pyrrha was invited to a video chat on her Scroll from him. She looked down at it with a look of confusion, she had just seen Jaune enter the shower. She accepted the call, and it opened up to Jaune undressing and climbing into the shower. She let let a small squeak of shock, earning her a look from Ren and Nora.

"You okay Pyrrha?" Ren asked.

"I'm perfectly fine!" She blushed as red as her hair before tilting her screen away from the others and staring down at the Scroll, absorbing the sight. She watched the entire ten minute shower with her eyes wide, only ending the call when he stepped out of the shower. Pyrrha felt bad for staring at her teammate in the shower. _Jaune would never do something like that in my place,_ she thought. _He would remain a faithful companion. What I did was wrong._

But Jaune never found out about that. It was Pyrrha's little secret.

 **Ah, parallels. Gotta love 'em! Hope you enjoyed the third awkward moment in the past week for them!**


	40. The Lemon Dilemma, Part One

**Warning: Smut galore in this thread, so if you wish not to have your eyes burned, please disregard the next three chapters and skip to the next one when it comes out. To those of you who love lemons, enjoy! This will also be the start of much longer chapters with more description. Most chapters after this one will now be from 3,000 - 6,000 words rather than 1,000 - 2,000 like i've been doing. Hooray for longer chapters!**

Jaune was in the middle of a very intense staring match with the ceiling. Of course, he was losing, but he was putting up a good fight. It was Saturday, which was a day where he had no classes and no responsibilities. He should be out training, or exercising; But instead, he was sitting inside, contemplating what to do. Ren was off, probably reading a book in the library (He wouldn't be shocked if Ren stole Ninjas of Love from Blake again, Ren did that a lot. Whatever it is, he must really like that book), Nora had informed Jaune that she'd be down in the training room today, practicing with her giant hammer that weighed more than Jaune. Nora was an excellent fighting and insanely strong, so he didn't understand why she needed to train.

Pyrrha was... Where was Pyrrha? Jaune wondered where the fourth member of the JNPR team was, realizing she hadn't talked to him ever since breakfast. No matter what day it was, JNPR made a pact to always have breakfast together. And since RWBY usually did the same thing, the two teams often shared breakfast together. Jaune sat up and decided that, since he had nothing better to do, he'd go out looking for Pyrrha. Jaune got up and equipped his sword and shield to his belt before leaving the dorm room.

Jaune decided to check the garden first. It was a place he seemed to find Pyrrha at a lot. She would be staring blankly at the sky most Saturdays, but on occasion would be spending her lunch time here, enjoying the quietness compared to the busy cafeteria. Jaune made his way onto the grass and looked around, not seeing the beautiful redhead anywhere. Did she have a class that he forgot about? Was she sparring? Jaune had absolutely no clue. He felt like he had bonded with Ms. Nikos and could tell every last detail about her. But he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out her schedule.

Jaune decided the next most likely place would be the sparring rooms. Jaune wasn't aware they were even open on Saturdays, he never checked. But still, plenty of students trained with dummies or other classmates to hone and improve their skills, which were already leagues ahead of Jaune's abilities. Jaune wondered if he even had a semblance, it seemed s easy for others to discover theirs. How did Pyrrha find out about her powers? Did she wake up one morning and decide she was too lazy to get a spoon for her cereal, so she just concentrated and, poof, she found out she had polarity. Jaune wanted to have something special himself; he was tired of being the generic sword and shield fighter who couldn't bring anything else to even the playing field. Jaune felt like a noob to the rest of the students at Beacon. Because he was.

Jaune cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, "Pyrrha?" He hoped she could hear him over the sound of metal clanking on metal and grunts of frustration from frustrated students. Jaune had gotten no reply, which caused a sigh from the blond night. Maybe she was trying to avoid him, maybe she had finally had enough of him and decided it was best to keep away. Jaune always feared the day when Pyrrha would grow sick of him, everyone did. Should he keep looking for his beloved, or give up and let her have a day to herself?

That's when Jaune's Scroll began buzzing in his pocket. He quickly fished it out and checked the contact; Pyrrha was calling him. Jaune silently thanked her, hoping she wasn't going to leave a message about how she was leaving Beacon to study without the distractions of the blond. Jaune pressed the green accept button and watched as Pyrrha's face showed up on screen. Her face was radiant and the smile Jaune had fallen in loved with soon plastered the redheads face. She was in her school uniform, and she seemed to be propped up against a pale yellow wall, the same color as their dorm room. Was she up there?

"Hello, Jaune!" She spoke with a slight waver in her voice, but besides that, it was even and melodic as always. Jaune couldn't help but smile back; hers was contagious. "How are you?"

"I'm great! Well, not great, I'd say swell, but really today's been more of a - never mind. How are you?" Jaune responded. _Nice one, way to swoon her with the bad boy talk._

Pyrrha let out a small giggle, the kind where she'd cover her mouth with her free hand, the same one Jaune loved seeing. It was a signature of Pyrrha's, like a second semblance; Jaune called it the _Make-Guys-Fall-In-Love-With-Me_ semblance. He wasn't that good at naming things. "That's swell, Jaune." Pyrrha leaned forward in the video. "I was wondering... Are you free today, at around six or seven? I-It's okay if you're not, you can be totally busy and I'd understand, but I was just wondering-"

"Yeah, I'm free," Jaune responded casually as to not seem like he was searching for the girl on the other end of the call for a good half an hour. "What did you want to do?"

"Well... Do you think you could meet me up on the balcony? I was hoping to show you something up there later tonight." Pyrrha cleared her throat, looking above the camera. She squinted at something behind her Scroll, "I... Would love to see you tonight at seven, Jauny-Boy...?" She looked back at the camera, her voice was choppy and slow. There was an audible "Good job!" That came from off-camera.

"Uh..." Jaune thought for a moment. "Sure, I'll see you then." He dismissed the oddity of the proposal. The thought that she was being held hostage ran through his head, but he chuckled at the thought of someone being able to take on Pyrrha Nikos. Jaune knew it was impossible. Jaune thought she could use an armor change, though; a single shot from an arrow could kill her, the chest plate she wore left her heart wide open. But, then again, it did give Jaune a spectacular view.

"Sounds lovely, I'll see you in a few hours." Pyrrha waved to the screen and hung up. Jaune put away his Scroll and sighed, wondering what he could do for the next couple of hours. He wondered if Ren was in the mood to be bothered and began searching for him.

Pyrrha was having a mental breakdown. She was getting ready to make the single greatest - or single worst - decision of her life. She debated whether to press the button. "Oh, just do it, ya pansy!" Nora groaned and pressed the button for her, causing an audible yelp from Pyrrha.

"Nora, I don't know what to say-"

"I gotcha covered," Nora grinned evilly, holding up pre-made note cards with dialog written on them. Ranging from "Let's do something fun!" to "Do me, it'll be fun!" Pyrrha wasn't sure about the more vulgar note cards, but figured the more appropriate ones could come in handy. The Scroll rang and rang, and Pyrrha's heart beat rapidly to the ring. Nora had been helping Pyrrha plan this call for the past half an hour. They were hiding out in team RWBY's room, forcing them all to stay quiet while the call began. When Jaune picked up, Pyrrha's heart nearly leaped out of her chest.

"Hello, Jaune!" Pyrrha began. Was I too cheery? Did he like cheery? Did he like me more when I was assertive and serious? Pyrrha nearly gave herself a headache from thinking about the best way to please Jaune. "How are you?"

"I'm great! Well, not great, I'd say swell, but today's been more of a - never mind. How are you?" Jaune asked, his voice light and heavenly. It was something she loved about Jaune; he didn't try to fake who he was. He didn't give himself a fake deep voice, he didn't try to be someone he wasn't. He was Jaune, and Pyrrha loved him for that.

She gave him a small giggle, the kind that Pyrrha had realized always made him smile. "That's swell, Jaune." Pyrrha drew a blank. What else was she supposed to say? Nora could see Pyrrha was having trouble, so she held out one of the cards randomly. When she read it, she decided it would be better to wing it than say the words on the card. ' _I want you to have my babies'_ just didn't seem to be the best way to tell him that she wanted to go on a date. "I was wondering... Are you free today, at around six or seven? I-It's okay if you're not, you can be totally busy and I'd understand, but I was just wondering-"

"Yeah, I'm free," Jaune saved her the embarrassment of messing up her words any more. Nora was giving her a thumbs up. "What did you want to do?"

"Well... Do you think you could meet me up on the balcony? I was hoping to show you something up there later tonight." Pyrrha drew another blank, and Nora switched to a different card and held it out. Pyrrha glared up at the card and decided the words were good enough. "I... Would love to see you tonight at seven, Jauny-Boy...?" When she realized what she had said, Pyrrha mentally slapping herself. Jauny-Boy, great pet name.

"Sure, I'll see you then." Jaune said, and Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief.

"Sounds lovely, I'll see you in a few hours." Pyrrha responded and hung up on the call. She let out an even bigger sigh of relief, her face turning a shade of red as the entire team RWBY, as well as Nora and Ren, all stood watching her. Weiss and Blake were glaring, Ren and Ruby had small smiles, and Yang and Nora had huge grins.

"C'mon dork, we need to get the balcony ready!" Nora grabbed Pyrrha's hand and yanked her out into the hallway, the others in tow. They were destined to make this night magical. Pyrrha wasn't sure it was a good idea to let Nora take control of the planning, since she went completely overboard. But Pyrrha couldn't complain, the balcony looked very romantic now. Small fluorescent lights were hung around the railing, with a single table in the center and a single rose on top of it in a nice glass vase. Where had Nora conjured up an entire table and bag of lights from? Pyrrha didn't want to ask, afraid of what the answer could be.

Everyone helped, too; team RWBY was ecstatic to help (Weiss was glad that if this succeeded, Jaune would stop hitting on her), Nora was always happy to help the blossoming Arkos relationship (Nora would never admit that she would constantly trip Pyrrha as she walked by to fall into Jaune's arms, or that she would be the one to leave love letters to Jaune, from 'Pyrrha.' She was definitely the biggest Arkos fan of all). And Ren was thoroughly enjoying being the one to cook the meals. Knowing his teammates favorite foods, he decided to make it that much more special by throwing in their favorite dishes.

Pyrrha owed her friends a big favor when this was over.

When the time came, Jaune was more than eager to go up to the balcony in which Pyrrha had trained Jaune on for so many nights. Their blood and sweat was stained into the stone (Figuratively, that'd be disgusting if it were real,) and Jaune had officially dubbed it the Arkos balcony. He planned on engraving their initials into the stonework after their time at Beacon was done, so everyone who enjoyed the view would know that the famous Pyrrha Nikos trained him on that very balcony. Of course, he prayed that he could draw a heart around the initials, the way couples do on trees. Jaune was completely head over heels for the redhead, she was absolutely amazing.

Jaune had figured that Pyrrha wanted to show him some more fighting moves, or wanted to train with him some more, so he grabbed his sword and shield, put on his armor plates, and made his way up to the roof. But before that, he decided it'd be a good idea to check team RWBY's room and see if they knew where Ren and Nora was. When they were gone too, he was more confused than he had been in a while; all of his friends were gone, only Pyrrha was the one who contacted him earlier. Today was an odd day for Jaune. He walked towards the balcony door with a pep in his step, eager to meet his teammate and friend, Pyrrha Nikos for some sparring time.

But when he opened the door, the first thing he wondered was, How are we supposed to train in romantic lighting, and with a table in the way? Jaune was one of the most oblivious people alive. Pyrrha stood in the center, wearing a dress much like the one she wore to the ball a few months ago. She looked gorgeous in the moonlight, with the small yellow lights that hung around the balcony illuminating her figure, particularly her hips which were at the same level as the lights. How did Pyrrha expect to fight without her weapons, and in a dress?

"Hello, Jaune." Pyrrha spoke smoothly, even though her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest. She wanted to leap into his arms and ask him to take her away into the sunset, but she managed to keep her composure for the sake of the moment. The rest of the gang was around the balcony, standing away from the center table and Pyrrha as to give her all the attention. Each one of them had a huge grin on their face, even Blake and Ren.

"Uh, hey Pyrrha... Where's your weapon?" This earned Jaune a glare from Yang and a mental slap from Nora.

"I was thinking of something more along the lines of... civil actions, rather than practice tonight, if that's alright with you." Pyrrha gave Jaune a small smile and stepped forward. Jaune was melting at the sight of her, the dress revealing her thigh as she moved toward him. _Don't stare, Jaune. Everyone's looking at you,_ he had to remind himself.

"Like, fist fighting?"

"Oh for Ozpin's sake, Jaune," Nora groaned. "Give me that!" She stepped forward and took Jaune's weapons from his side, tossing them over the side of the balcony.

"Hey-!" Jaune tried to stop her, knowing he couldn't physically. Nora shrugged.

"Pay attention to the girl practically throwing herself at you, Jaune." Nora felt like slapping someone if Jaune didn't get the hint. Of course, this was Jaune we're talking about, so he was still as clueless as ever.

"Do I need a dress too?" Jaune asked, making a reference to the ball that had ended so well for Pyrrha and Jaune. An audible groan came from the entire group, excluding Pyrrha who simply giggled.

"Guys, I think I can handle it from here. Jaune will understand eventually." At that, she waved the others off, who sluggishly agreed to leave the two alone. They each filed out one by one, and when Nora passed by, she punched Jaune's shoulder lightly (Which, of course, still made Jaune stumble backward). When the door shut, it was quiet. Only the sound of the wind blowing filled Jaune's ears. He was still marveling at Pyrrha's looks; Somehow, she managed to to look even matter than normal.

"Jaune, do you understand why I wanted you to come up here?" Pyrrha asked in a hushed voice.

"I... think I might have an idea..." Jaune began, praying he was right. If Pyrrha had done all of this to ask him to a simple dinner, he might just faint there. Jaune stepped forward, the two now only inches from each other. He could almost feel Pyrrha's shallow breaths against his skin. He wanted to just... lean in, close the distance between them. But he didn't want to close him eyes for a moment. His eyes needed to absorb as much of her as they could, as though an arrow would kill her now and she'd disintegrate away at any moment, so he needed to get as much of her into his memory as possible. On the table behind her, a bowl of fresh Lemons sat near the center of the table, a plate on either side with a seat for each of them.

"Are you ready to eat?" Pyrrha asked with her amazing smile. God, she always turned his legs to jelly with that smile. He took a seat to make sure he didn't fall.

"S-sounds good to me," He said, taking a sip of his lemonade that was on the table. His plate had a couple chicken strips with a side of mashed potatoes, with the strips in the shape of Dino's. Ren knew him too well. Pyrrha's plate had a bunch of mixed veggies, regular chicken strips, and a Lemon in her water. Lemons were a common theme for this date apparently.

"Well then," Pyrrha began, digging into her food. "Let's eat."

 **And those are my extended chapter lengths that will get longer, woohoo! Thank you for reading, since the chapters are much longer now I won't be able to post multiple chapters in a day. Thanks again, I hope you enjoyed!**


	41. The Lemon Dilemma, Part Two

"-I just think lemons are too sour for eating and or drinking." Jaune debated with Pyrrha. She was sitting in his lap, both of them facing the door to the JNPR's room on Jaune's bed. Their hands were intertwined, Jaune's hand only slightly larger than Pyrrha's. She rested her head back against Jaune's shoulder, casually talking in a low tone as to not disturb Ren and Nora, who were doing their own separate things in the room. Nora was on her Scroll while Ren seemed to be writing a paper.

"I think lemons are great," Pyrrha countered. "I think they're sweet." Jaune was about to say something when Pyrrha turned her upper body around and planted a kiss on his lips. "Like you." Jaune blushed at this, still not completely used to kissing Pyrrha, especially with Nora swooning to them in the background. They had been dating for a few months now, ever since the magical night Pyrrha had planned. It ended just as well as it began, the two teammates finishing off the date with an amazing kiss in the light of the moon and the dim glow of the fluorescent bulbs on the balcony. It was a night the two would never forget.

"Y-yeah, I guess lemons are pretty cool." Jaune blinked, earning him a small chuckle from the redhead in his lap. They were genuinely happy with each other. Jaune wouldn't change her in any way, she was perfect. Pyrrha felt the same way about him, he was the lovable idiot she couldn't help but want. Other couples were boring and generic, guy buys girl flowers, they have nice dates that always went according to plan, got married, withered away and died. But that wasn't on their agenda. Their dates usually ended in either someone setting the others clothes on fire on accident, burnt food, or other natural disasters that made their dates deadly and unorthodox. But they loved every second they spent together even with the treacherous endings.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, looking down at the blonds lips. They were unbearably kissable for her, she wished she never had to take her lips off of his. The goofy smile he bore just added to Pyrrha's need for him.

"Yeah?" Jaune asked, giving her hand a gently squeeze. This sent small shivers down her back; anything Jaune did seemed to give her goosebumps, and she loved it. The feeling that she had Jaune all to herself was intoxicating. He gave her the same clueless smile that he seemed to always have around her. Pyrrha felt the corners of her lips tugging up, uncontrollably wanting to smile back at her team leader and boyfriend.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go on a walk before we went to bed." Pyrrha offered. They had spent all day inside with each other. They only went out of the room to get food, so Pyrrha decided it would be nice for them to get some fresh air before bed.

"Sure," Jaune gave her a smile and a quick kiss, giving both of them red cheeks. Pyrrha got up from the blonde knights lap and stood, waiting for Jaune by the door after opening it. How did she end up with such an amazing guy? Someone who not only cared for her, but did everything in his power to keep her happy? Jaune got out of the bed and nearly tripped, his foot caught in the sheets. Pyrrha had a small understanding of why others might see him as clumsy and something they didn't want, but Pyrrha believed it just added more character to her wonderful boyfriend.

"Ready?" Pyrrha asked, giving Jaune a reassuring smile. He responded with a nod of his head and walked with her out of the JNPR room, making sure to keep the door closed for Nora and Ren. They seemed much more close to each other whenever no one was around. Pyrrha had walked in on Ren and Nora in multiple situations that would be cause for alarm between friends. Cuddling, hand holding, even the occasional kiss on the head or cheek. Pyrrha felt like they were the kind of people to date in secret. They never acted that way around others, not even Pyrrha or Jaune; she just happened to walk in on them doing questionable things sometimes. Pyrrha didn't want to be the one to ask what was going on between them, so she simply didn't ask.

As Pyrrha and Jaune walked down the hallway, their hands glided past each others, their knuckles barely touching. But both of them knew that was their cue to hold hands; awkwardly fumbling with their fingers to reach a mutual position with their fingers. Most of the things the Arkos couple did were awkward, even if they were months into the relationship. Pyrrha didn't mind at all, it was sweet and somewhat cute to see Jaune blush at every last thing they did together. She had never seen him turn more red than when they confronted their friends about their relationship for the first time.

The couple walked around campus hand in hand, enjoying every last second of their walk. It was serene, there almost no one else out of their rooms at this time, meaning Pyrrha and Jaune could talk freely and not have to worry about others listening in on their conversations. These were the times when the two shared their most romantic encounters, their most heartfelt words and their most sincere thoughts for one another. It was mostly Pyrrha giving long speeches on how her day was, or her feeling s for Jaune, since he was much more of a listener when it came to Pyrrha. Jaune loved hearing the redheads voice, and would do anything to hear her talk. Luckily she was his girlfriend, so it wasn't a hard thing to do.

They were in the middle of a conversation about different ways to make lemon pies, an odd topic, and definitely not one of their heartfelt conversations that were previously mentioned, but Pyrrha enjoyed talking about things with Jaune, no matter how civil. "I'm just saying that apple pie is way better than lemon pie." Jaune said.

"But lemon pies are so..." Pyrrha's voice drowned out as she slowly fell silent, staring up at the beautiful night sky. The stars were bright, and the destroyed moon hung lazily in the sky among its own broken form, the silhouette of the moon creating a wonder effect on the whole sky. It was dazzling; Pyrrha often looked up at the stars, either when she was alone, sad, angry... The night sky was a good way to calm her nerves. But tonight was especially beautiful. Something about the stars just seemed to line up perfectly. It wasn't too bright out that the stars were unable to be seen, but it wasn't too dark to the point that Beacon, in all of its glory and detail, could be easily seen reaching up and kissing the sky with its tallest rooftops. It was a perfect night.

Jaune took notice in her absence of words and looked over at Pyrrha, following her gaze up at the dark blue with dots of bright white. He agreed with its beauty, but there was one thing on his mind that was more beautiful than all the stars combined. Someone that deserved the absolute best in the world. "I love you." Jaune said as he stared up blankly at the sky, not rending what just escaped his lips. Pyrrha caught on right away though; the words broke the silence of the night, and it rang in Pyrrha's mind over and over again. Did he really mean that? She looked down from the sky and over at Jaune, who was still caught up in stargazing.

"I love you too." Pyrrha responded quietly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. She blushed as red as her hair, knowing she meant every word. Jaune took a moment to realize the words they had just shared together. When his senses finally came to him, he snapped back to face her, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide. Pyrrha giggled lightly at Jaune's expression, hoping he had meant what he said and wasn't caught up in the moment.

"You do?" Jaune asked after a moment of silence.

"Of course. You're funny, you're a great leader, you're an even better boyfriend... And you're you, Jaune. I wouldn't have it any other way. You are perfect for me." Pyrrha turned to face him, about to look into his eyes, but was cut off when Jaune pressed his lips against hers passionately. She was surprised, especially by how much passion Jaune was putting into the kiss. It wasn't normal for him to give such long kisses, let alone holding her so close. Pyrrha liked it, Pyrrha always liked it when Jaune acted on impulse. Not in battle, or in class, but in their relationship. Having sudden kisses and little treats because Jaune simply felt like it was a turn on for her, even if she'd never admit it.

The kiss lingered for a while before they had to pull away for air. Neither of them wanted to, but unfortunately, oxygen was a must for them to survive. The couple smiled at each other, holding close and not daring to part another inch. They were close enough that Pyrrha could fell Jaune's breath, which didn't bother her at all. After a couple moments of intense staring, Jaune spoke up with a voice crack. "Library?" He asked with a suggestive, blushing smile.

"Library." Pyrrha agreed, and they both walked in silence towards the hopefully empty study hall. Their feet moved faster than normal as they walked, almost jogging towards salvation. They were both blushing the entire time, praying no one was staring as they hurried off suddenly. There were only a couple of other students out; reading books on park benches, enjoying the amazing view from the air docks, or simply taking a stroll around campus like Pyrrha and Jaune were doing. Of course, now they had a course plotted and were ready to take the next step in their relationship. They would've gone to their dorm, but decided that Ren and Nora would ruin the moment simply by being there.

When they snuck into the library, it had only taken them half a minute, which was a new record. They walked past all of the bookshelves, Pyrrha guessed that she had read almost every book on every shelf. She liked to read a lot in her free time, when she wasn't with Jaune and she was free of homework. But none of her reading could prepare her for what she was getting ready to do. They picked a random corridor between two bookshelves and stuck to it, Jaune and Pyrrha resuming their passionate moment from before with their lips locked in a tight embrace.

Pyrrha felt her body grow hot as Jaune pressed his against hers, almost causing her to break out in a sweat. Was she ready to do this? Jaune asked himself the same question. Either way, their bodies seemed to know exactly what to do, despite both of them having no prior knowledge in this field. Jaune's arms danced up and down Pyrrha's sides, causing her to giggle into the kisses, the feel being slightly ticklish to her. Pyrrha's hands drifted down to the hem of Jaune's pants but remained stagnant when the reached their destination. Pyrrha let out a small moan from the back of her throat as Jaune moved his hands to her lower back, just above her...

"Jaune," Pyrrha said after pulling away from the blonde. She stared into his eyes, her hands now moving up to his chest. They rested there, Jaune almost leaning forward to kiss her due to the withdraw he felt of her lips. They were the most heavenly thing he had ever felt, and wished he could feel more.

"Yeah, Pyr?" Jaune asked, not moving away from Pyrrha. She didn't mind him being so close; she actually kind of liked feeling Jaune pressed against her. It was making her legs tremble slightly, feeling a heat grow between her legs.

"I'm... I'm not sure we should go this far, yet." She controlled herself, putting logic over lust. Jaune obliged, pulling away from his girlfriend, but keeping his hands on her hips in a half hug.

"I understand... I'm not sure what came over me, sorry..." He moved one hand up to scratch the back of his neck.

"It's fine." She placed a hand on his cheek, giving him a reassuring smile. "One day, Jaune. I'm just not sure if it should be this soon." Jaune nodded in agreement, and Pyrrha gave him a kiss on the cheek to show he did nothing wrong.

"C'mon, it's past our curfew. We should probably get back before Nora and Ren do something they'll regret." Pyrrha took his hand and walked with Jaune towards the rooms. Jaune was just glad she never looked down at his crotch, it might've made things awkward between them for the night. _Ah, what the hell, she's already seen it through my pants once before. Who cares if she sees it again._

The couple went up to their dorm and slept in their own beds, each glad that they were still completely comfortable with the relationship they were in. Pyrrha and Jaune couldn't keep their hands from themselves though, there was no stopping that. It would've been very awkward if the one caught the other though, but they managed to both remain silent during their activities in the darkness of the room. They both slept like babies that night.

 **I'm very sorry for not updating in the past few days, I dropped a weight on my foot and needed to go to the hospital for a bit, explaining my league of absense. Also sorry the chapter wasn't insanely long like the last one, but the next chapter will do more than make up for this one ;) Slowly inching my way towards that lemon still. Did you catch all of the lemon Easter eggs so far? Haha, I'm a genius. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed, you dirty minded people! :D**


	42. The Lemon Dilemma Finale

**Smutty time peeps, to those who don't like it, don't read it, to those who like it, enjoy! First lemon, time to see how great I am at writing smut.**

Pyrrha collapsed onto her knees, cut up and defeated. Above her stood Cinder, smirking evilly at the defeated warrior. She put up a good fight, no doubt, she had gotten a few good hits in, but in the end, she still faltered. Every machine breaks, every body withers away and every soul is crushed in time. Penny was first in Cinder's great scheme to perish, the mechanical girl broken and shattered by Pyrrha herself. It was a genius idea, to mentally break someone before fighting them. Had Cinder not inflicted such a traumatic moment on Pyrrha, she might have won in this fight.

But Pyrrha failed, her Achilles tendon torn, her dreams shattered and the boy she loved was nowhere in sight. Did he even care for her? Was the blind kiss something Jaune disliked? Was it a one sided relationship? It's almost convenient that Jaune was the last thing to go through the redhead's hair. No matter how much she tried thinking of everyone else, Ruby, Weiss, Ren, Nora, her family, her teachers... Her mind just kept coming back to Jaune Arc. The lovable blonde knight who couldn't seem to take a hint from Pyrrha.

"It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours." Cinder strolled over to Pyrrha slowly, lifting Pyrrha's drooping head up. "But take comfort in knowing, that I will use it in ways you never could have imagined." Cinder's words were like daggers piercing through Pyrrha's heart. She knew she had been defeated. Pyrrha knew she was going to die.

Pyrrha pulled away from Cinder's cold hand, staring up into Cinder's eyes. "Do you believe in Destiny?" Pyrrha asked, her voice near breaking from the thought that these could be her last words. But she remained steady and her voice remained smooth.

Cinder stood tall, tears forming in her eyes. Was she beginning to cry? Cinder was silent as her hands formed the position of holding a bow, the ranged weapon forming in her hands only seconds later. She lowered it down and aimed at Pyrrha, and she prayed it would be a quick death. Pyrrha didn't want to be the one who suffered in pain, she wanted it to be swift and painless. The arrow was released from the bow and struck Pyrrha in an instant.

And then Jaune woke up. He sat up in bed, sweaty and confused, looking around for Pyrrha. Fortunately, she was in the bed with him, clinging to him for warmth. He had almost forgotten his past few years with Pyrrha, the magical moments they had shared in such a short time. They weren't attending Beacon anymore, either; they had graduated a few months earlier, most of the teams staying together after the end of their four years, including team RWBY and team JNPR. They had a bond tighter than blood. Nothing would get in the way of their friendship. Ren and Nora were living together in a house a few miles away. Not too far away, team JNPR agreed. They would visit often, usually for dinner, at least once a week.

The room they were sleeping in was small but cozy, with the walls made of a dark mahogany, with matching dressers and wardrobes. The moonlight shone through one of the three windows in the room, casting an eerie glow on Pyrrha's back. Jaune sighed heavily, glad that it was just a dream. He wasn't sure if he could hold himself together if Pyrrha died in such a slow and painful way.

"Jaune...?" Pyrrha's voice was quiet and drawn out, she had obviously just woken up to his sudden movements. She stirred in bed, slowly lifting up and rubbing her eyes. "Is something wrong?" She was wearing a tank top and compression shorts, the same thing she had always worn whenever she went to bed. Her ample chest looked like it would rip the tank top at any moment, though.

"I'm fine, just a bad dream is all." Jaune planted a kiss on her head, waking Pyrrha up a little faster. She gave him a warm smile, returning the kiss with her own on Jaune's lips. It was quick but passionate, with Jaune reaching a hand up to cup her cheek during the embrace. When they pulled apart, Jaune noticed the silver ring on his finger, glistening in the moonlight that now lit up Pyrrha's beautiful face. She was smiling at him with the same, amazing grin that melted Jaune's heart every time.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think I'd rather just forget about it." Jaune looked down at his lap, hoping she wouldn't pry. Jaune hated to think of a life without Pyrrha, it was something that he just couldn't stand. He would prefer to die than live without the redhead he loved so much. His dream was especially brutal that night; seeing Pyrrha in so much pain killed him inside. Jaune was just glad it was over, and he was with Pyrrha now. Nothing would take him away from her, not even an arrow.

"I understand." Pyrrha said still seeing the pain in his eyes. Jaune's shoulders were slumped and he was looking down, obviously dreaming of something that hurt him. Pyrrha hated to see such a look on his face and always tried her best to lift his spirits, either with affection or with gifts. Usually, on the days Jaune would be feeling especially useless at Beacon, she would ask Ren to help her bake cookies for her knight. They always made Jaune smile, especially since Pyrrha ended up getting plenty of cooking materials all over herself, making quite the show of food and a cookie-battered girlfriend. Pyrrha definitely wasn't the best cook, but the love she put into it always made up for the burnt cookies.

But since Pyrrha couldn't call up Ren to help out at 3 in the morning, she decided to go with affection. She leaned in again, kissing Jaune gently. "I love you, Vomit Boy." She giggled, Jaune flustered at his Beacon nickname.

"I love you too..." Jaune tried thinking of a name for Pyrrha. "Uh, cookie burner!" He tried, the married couple laughing lightly at his terrible idea.

"I think you should keep your day job, Jaune." Pyrrha commented jokingly, keeping her lips inches from his in a teasing manner.

"Be quiet and kiss me," Jaune's quiet laugh tickled Pyrrha's lips with his breath, and Jaune closed the gap between them. She was slightly surprised on how passionate he was being, especially for just having woken up. His dream must've been really bad to want her so much. Was his nightmare about her? She hoped not, Pyrrha didn't like Jaune being sad, especially about her. She wanted him to be happy.

Jaune wrapped his arms around her, his fingers gently tickling her sides and drawing a small yelp from Pyrrha. His touch was electrifying on her skin. The couple had agreed that they should save intercourse for marriage after the one especially intimate night they shared a couple of years ago. They had gotten married almost instantly after they graduated from Beacon. It was a nice, small wedding with both if their families, team RWBY, and a few other friends they had made at Beacon. They bought the house they currently lived in, and there was a lot of talk about having kids in the past couple of months. Both of them wanted little Arcs running around, they had the space and the money for it, the only problem was initiating it. Every time they got close to having sex, something got in their way. Nora needed help with shopping, Ren needed a place to stay for some peace and quiet, one time Jaune needed to go to the hospital because Pyrrha accidentally elbowed him in the nose while taking off her top. Something was always keeping them from trying, but now that it was 3 in the morning, there was nothing that could stop them (As long as Pyrrha was careful).

Their bodies pressed together in a tight embrace, their lips not parting for a single moment as the kisses got more intense and more passionate. Jaune's fingers tugged at the hem of Pyrrha's tank top, but this time, she didn't stop him. Her heart was racing the whole time, feeling as the tank top lifted above her abdomen and stopped just under her breasts. Jaune had stopped and pulled away.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" He asked, making sure he wasn't forcing her in any way. Jaune always made sure Pyrrha was okay with everything he did before doing them. Sometimes he'd even ask if a hug or handhold was permitted.

"I'm positive Mr. Arc." She gave him a reassuring smile, and gave him one more gentle kiss before pulling her lips away from his, allowing him to lift the shirt up. Jaune seemed to have some trouble lifting it past her chest, he was shaking the whole time, but never faltered as it came up around her neck and eventually off of her completely. Jaune didn't even bother looking down at her chest; He was more interested in her eyes. (He was also quite afraid of peeking, in case Pyrrha didn't like guys who stared at her.) Jaune responded with taking off his own shirt, having some trouble getting it past his neck as he tried rushing to get it off.

"If we don't hurry, something might interrupt us again Jaune." Pyrrha informed him, hoping it would encourage his actions. Jaune finally got it off of his body and tossed it aside. This wasn't a new sight, Pyrrha had seen him shirtless many times. Whether he was hot, sweaty, or just got out of the shower, it didn't matter Pyrrha always secretly marveled at his muscles.

"So sexy." Pyrrha tried breaking the tension, causing both of them to laugh. Pyrrha decided it would be better for her to take off her own pants, rather than let Jaune take ten years to pull them down a few inches. She got up from the bed, facing away from Jaune, and pulled down her shorts - as well as her underwear - making sure to bend over as she did, hoping to grab Jaune's attention. Pyrrha now stood completely naked in front of Jaune, turning around to face the dumbfounded knight who was caught staring. This made Pyrrha smile, as she stared down at the erection he obviously had in his pants. Pyrrha felt cold all of the sudden, a slight blush forming on her cheeks as the couple stared at the other.

"Sh-should I take mine off now?" Jaune asked, not taking his eyes off of her body.

"That's usually how this works." Pyrrha informed him, and Jaune stood up as well. He pulled down his pants, revealing his bunny themed boxers underneath. Pyrrha nearly died in laughter.

"Hey," Jaune tried to defend himself, blushing madly. "If I was expecting us to do this I would've worn something more appropriate!" She had seemed Jaune's underwear countless times before whenever she did the laundry, but had never seen how ridiculous Jaune looked with only them on. Jaune pulled down his underwear the rest of the way, revealing his hard-on. Both young adults blushed deeply.

"So uh," Jaune began. "Do we just, like, kiss and do it, or...?" He was completely inexperienced in this stuff, and he felt awkward to ask, but luckily Pyrrha seemed to have a small clue of what to do. She laid down on the bed, looking up and Jaune. Her breasts swayed slightly as she got into a comfortable position, her legs close together.

"Just... lay on me and we'll take it from there." Pyrrha suggested, before slowly spreading apart her legs. Jaune nearly fainted at the sight. He took a moment to process the new information going through his head before slowly getting onto the bed.

"I'm not crushing you am I?" Jaune asked as he laid on top of her, their bodies pressed together. Jaune was in a somewhat awkward position, keeping his pelvis away from her to try not to enter her yet. Pyrrha smiled at his question.

"Jaune, do you honestly believe you'd crush me?"

"Good point."

"I'm ready when you are." She moved bath hands up to grab the bed frame behind her head, readying herself for Jaune. Both of them felt their hearts nearly beat out of their chests, with Jaune praying he didn't get a nosebleed while looming over Pyrrha. That'd be one way to end it early. Jaune slowly lowered himself into Pyrrha, stopping suddenly when she let out a sharp gasp.

"What's wrong?" Jaune asked, instantly pulling away.

"It just... hurts a little my first time, i'll be fine." She waved it off, breathing heavy. Jaune frowned slightly as he slowly lowered himself into her again, this time Pyrrha was able to control her cries of pain until Jaune entered her completely. It was an odd feeling for the both of them, unlike anything either of them had felt before. Pyrrha let out a loud moan, thankful they didn't have any neighbors. With the window open, they definitely would have heard her. Jaune blushed at the noises coming from his partner as he awkward moved back and forth into her, a warm feeling filling both of them as Jaune continued.

Pyrrha let out another deep moan at a particularly deep thrust from Jaune, both were in heaven from pleasure. Jaune reached down and planted a kiss on her lips, silencing themselves for a moment as they explored each others mouths. Jaune's hands trailed up her sides and soon rested at her breasts, gently taking one into his hand as he played with what felt like a bag of pudding to him. It was strange, new and foreign, Jaune wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

But Pyrrha knew she loved it. Jaune's touch was electrifying, sending shivers up her spine in sync with his thrusting. The bed rocked slightly with their movements, adding a slight creak from the squeaky bed. Jaune every now and then let out a small groan of pleasure, feeling Pyrrha's legs wrap around his waist as the baby making continued. At first it was awkward, their movements contradicted each other. Their bodies seemed to reject the others from progressing, but eventually they seemed to slowly grow more and more confident to the actions they committed.

"Jaune...?" Pyrrha asked, her head pressing against the headboard as Jaune thrust into her. "Do you think we could change it up a bit?" She felt slightly cramped, boxed between Jaune and the headboard. To this Jaune nodded and slowly pulled out of her, backing away from Pyrrha so she could get up. "How about you lay face up?" She suggested, blushing slightly. She felt odd for wanting to fulfill her cravings. Her family always told her to put school and work above everything else, even family. But Jaune was living proof that she needed to care more for others than herself. She felt like Jaune was perfect for her. A match made in heaven. If there was anyone she'd like to throw away everything she'd worked for to be with, it would undoubtedly be Jaune. She'd take an arrow in the chest for him if he was in danger.

Jaune did as Pyrrha asked, laying down in Pyrrha's place with his erection in the air. Both blushed at the sight, but Pyrrha didn't want Jaune to feel weird sitting there. She knows she did when she was waiting for Jaune. So, she decided to waste no time climbing into his lap and sitting down on his waistline, just above his erection to make sure she felt comfortable with the position.

"Uh, Pyr... I think you missed it..." He joked with a small blush. Pyrrha chuckled lightly. Pyrrha slowly rocked backwards and allowed Jaune back into her, slowly sitting back down completely on his member. Pyrrha raised her head and let a moan escape her lips once more, feeling Jaune inside of her again. She felt warm between her legs again, a feeling she almost thought of as withdraw now. Pyrrha needed him inside of her. Is this what she'd been missing in her life? Would this have helped calm her down on nights where she was too excited? All she knew, was that it felt much better than her hand did.

Jaune placed his hands on her hips, staring up at the redhead on his lap. She sat there for a moment, getting a feel for the position before slowly lifting herself up and bringing her body back down onto Jaune. She leaned back as she did it, revealing her bouncing breasts. "Pyrrha," Jaune began wit ha small groan, using his hands to aid her in her movements. "What do you think about oral?" Pyrrha didn't stop her rocking, replying after a particularly loud moan.

"Would you want to kiss me after oral, Jaune?" She asked. Pyrrha had a point. He thought it'd be somewhat disgusting to kiss her after her lips had been... Jaune left it at that. But did that mean Pyrrha would be okay with it? She never said she hadn't wanted to. Jaune decided not to ask. His hands slowly drifted around to her lower back as Pyrrha bounced on him. She leaned forward again, placing her hands back on top of the headrest and leaning over Jaune, her breasts seeming to bounce even more as she switched into her new position.

Jaune felt a bitter sweet feeling build up inside of him, instinctively causing him to pull Pyrrha down onto him even faster. Then, Jaune realized what was about to happen. "Pyrrha," He tried to warn. "I think.. I'm about to finish soon..." He spoke with a small strain in his voice, trying to talk while in so much pleasure was hard for him. Instead of slowly down like he expected Pyrrha to, she corrected herself to sit straight up before continuing to hop up and down on his lap even faster. Jaune nearly blacked out from the amount of pleasure he was feeling, and Pyrrha was the same way.

Pyrrha's moans got louder and louder as she felt herself tighten, her fingers curling around the bed frame. How had she not discovered these feelings before? It was like getting a massage on steroids, with someone you love enjoying the passionate moment together. She could've mistaken the feeling for being drunk, her head was in the clouds (Both literally and metaphorically, She was practically jumping on Jaune,) and could tell she was about to hit her release soon as well.

Eventually, he couldn't hold it in anymore and reached his climax inside of her, and Pyrrha could feel the hot mess he had just shot into her. She groaned loudly, nearly falling over off of his lap in the process. It was almost like she had been taken to the gates of heaven right there, with Jaune, her insides quivering at the feeling of Jaune's erection inside of her.

"Jaune?!" Nora's voice rang through the house, as well as the sound of the front door opening. Jaune and Pyrrha froze, both of their heads looking in the direction of the door to their bedroom, which was wide open. Pyrrha sprang into action, getting off of Jaune and running to the door. "Jaune?! Pyrrha?" Nora called, her voice seeming to get closer and closer. Pyrrha tried closing the door, but Nora's foot seemed to be in the way. She had just closed the door at the perfect time.

"Oh, hey, Nora!" Pyrrha spoke nervously, not able to keep herself from shivering. _At least she hadn't interrupted them in the middle of their moment together._ Pyrrha's head poked out of the door, so Nora couldn't see the fact that she was naked. Jaune simply sat there, still in shock from the session they just shared together.

"Just thought you'd like somethin' for when you and Jaune start to get _intimate_." Nora gave a wink, and Pyrrha nearly shut the door in her face. Nora pulled out a box of condoms from her bag, holding it out to Pyrrha. "I know you guys haven't really done much yet, but I figured you might as well have it when you do. Always be prepared!" Nora gave Pyrrha an innocent smile, believing she was helping out her partner.

"Thank you, Nora." Pyrrha gritted her teeth and grabbed the box. "I'll definitely keep this on hand in case we ever get that far."

"Just remember, if you're not sure about kids, then always use-"

"Thank you, Nora." Pyrrha resisted the urge to slam the door in her face. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to sleep now."

"Alright, I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Nora waved to her before walking off towards the exit. Pyrrha slowly shut the door and let out a sigh.

"Well, that was perfect timing." Pyrrha chuckled to herself. She was going to ask Jaune if he wanted to try some more, but she realized he was sleeping soundly where Pyrrha had left him. She let out a sigh, going back to the bed and laying down beside him. At least they managed to finish before Nora interrupted them. Pyrrha soon fell asleep as well, both still naked with the window wide open.

 **Well that sure was a thing that happened. My first ever lemon, which was... an experience, to say the least. Writing this is much different than reading, I must say. Thank you for reading, and hope you enjoyed!**


	43. Breakdown

**There's some pretty heavy things in this chapter, a more realistic version of the future for our blond knight.**

Jaune stumbled back onto the pavement, his head bloodied but unbowed. He stood tall once he got to his bearings, preparing for the next attack from his enemy. He was cut up badly; Jaune could barely hold his sword hand up, his had t limp on his left leg, a large gash just under his eye, and his clothes were torn up. He was missing a shoulder piece and his stomach was bleeding profusely. Jaune wasn't sure if he'd live, but he didn't care anymore. He was constantly on the attack, using his rage and anger to propel himself into devastating attacks. Even when he could barely stand, Jaune was trying his absolute hardest to kill the only other person for miles, the person who ruined his life. He intended on getting payback, sweet, sweet revenge was on his mind.

Jaune took a blow to the head, flipping him over and onto the ground. He got back up instantly, and fought with tears in his eyes. They were surrounded by trees, the darkness of the night being shone through by the corrupted moon that hung looming above the two combatants. Jaune had spent the past few years tracking down this location. Why was he trying so hard, what would killing her accomplish? Jaune wasn't sure, but he knew that he needed to do it for Pyrrha. The happiness in his life, gone, all because of this one person. Jaune had three years of pent up anger to release, and he intended to use every ounce of it on the brunette.

He raised his shield just in time, blocking the torrent of shards that would've impaled him if he hadn't. They clanked off harmlessly, Jaune returning the attack with a swing of his sword. His opponent dodged by sidestepping, elbowing Jaune in the face. He wouldn't have fallen if it wasn't for the shard that was lifted up through his shoulder. He immediately dropped how shield, not able to move his arm. Jaune dropped to his knees, his eyes drooping and his body motionless. His opponent gave a thin, dry smile.

"Oh Jaune," She spoke with a voice that could only belong to one, wretched person. "You see what happens when you fight out of anger and revenge? Poor Pyrrha," Jaune flinched at the name. Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral champion, greatest fighter of the generation, but more importantly, Jaune's friend. She could've achieved so much if it wasn't for Cinder, who was about to claim her next victim. Pyrrha was his best friend and partner, and she was taken away just after they had their spark; the special, single kiss that would be their last. Jaune always wondered, why did Pyrrha feel obligated to give her life? Did she need to die that day? He often blamed himself for that day, his friends beginning to slowly start to take care of their deteriorating leader. Medicine was heavy for Jaune, battling whatever bitterness was building up in him. It bundled up into sever depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety... He was on enough antidepressants to give him Serotonin Syndrome, causing seizures, fevers, agitation, restlessness, twitching muscles and headaches. It was slowly killing him. Pyrrha was his trigger, the one thing that made him snap.

"You don't... understand..." Jaune wheezed through his pain. "You don't deserve... To speak her name..." Jaune balled his fist, knowing he couldn't do anything to Cinder. She was too powerful, and he was too weak. Jaune figured this would happen; He wanted to see Pyrrha so badly, he wanted to get himself killed to see her again. He decided he would rather die getting two or three good hits on Cinder rather than end his life on his own. It was the only thing that kept him moving, the possibility that either he would kill Cinder, or he'd be with Pyrrha again. Both were satisfying..

"Aw, why not Jaune?" Cinder questioned, cupping her hand over his cheek. His anger built up inside of him. "I hope you know that Pyrrha died slowly, painfully... And you weren't there to help. You were off being safe while she fought for her life. She's dead because of you, so don't blame anyone but yourself." She smirked, sighing softly in the night air. "You don't even have a weapon to try and hit me with. You'll die just like Pyrrha. Both disarmed and in pain."

That's when Jaune's hand surged forward, drawing the hidden knife under his chest plate and lifting it up into Cinder's heart. Her expression turned from sly to shock, then from shock to anger. She jabbed an arrow into his side, Jaune trying his best to ignore the pain as he threw all of his weight into the blade, twisting it around inside of her chest. Jaune took a deep breath, now leaning over Cinder who fell to her knees. "Correction," Jaune spoke with a long pause. "I learned... From her mistakes..." He pulled the blade out of her, Cinder falling to the ground on her back as she died off slowly, her life force draining away.

"You... You..." She tried speaking, but the pain in her chest was too much. She made a series of groans and gasps, before finally taking in her last painful breath. Her eyes drooped and her body was stagnant in the night air, Jaune collapsing to his knees. The arrow was still in his side, but he wasn't focusing on how badly he was hurting. He thought about Pyrrha, hoping that if he died, that would be his last thought. The redhead he loved.

"Jaune." A smooth, quiet voice spoke to him. A voice he hadn't heard in years. He perked up, his eyes widening as he looked for the disembodied voice. Then finally, above him, he saw Pyrrha stand tall. She seemed transparent, a silhouette of Ms. Nikos in a frilly white dress. Her legs faded out of existence, like a ghost. That's all she was, and Jaune knew it. So why was she here?

"Wha...?" Jaune tried, not able to finish his words.

"Congratulations." She spoke, a smile forming on her face. "Thank you, Jaune. For killing Cinder for me. For avenging me." Se placed a hand on his cheek. "I love you." Jaune looped in and out of consciousness, feeling like he'd tip over at any second and black out. Or die, both were likely.

"Pyrrha," Jaune tried reaching up to her, his hand passing through her face harmlessly. "Why...? Why did you... Why did you have to leave me?" He asked, praying she would give him an answer. She replied with a warm smile.

"Goodbye, Jaune." She pulled her hand away, Jaune desperately trying to grab it to keep her there. He wanted to keep her for himself, he needed Pyrrha in her life. Why did she constantly want to break his heart? He knew it was an illusion, it had to be. But it was too real, he couldn't go without her for another second. Jaune reached out for her, slowly falling over beside Cinder. He let out a gasp, feeling the small amount of breath in him leave his lungs. He looked up, seeing that Pyrrha was no where in sight.

"Jaune!" A light voice called from the distance. He knew who it was, but it wasn't who he wanted it to be. He slowly closed his eyes, knowing he might never open them again. He heard the light footsteps join his side, he could sense a light through his eyelids, but no matter what they did, Jaune's eyes remained closed. He didn't want to be reanimated, he would rather be dead with Pyrrha than alive without her. But he didn't have a choice.

* * *

The blonde knight walked down the crowded street, hands in his pockets and hood over his head. A few locks of hair poked out from under the fabric, he kept his head down and listened to his music. The white earphones blasted the only thing he ever listened to; some loud and obnoxious song about losing someone you love. He spent most of his time sitting somewhere - a park bench, a cafe table - anywhere, and listen to the same song. On repeat, day after day. The only time he wouldn't be listening would be if he was eating, sleeping or talking with friends. But it was always one sided conversations, Jaune barely ever contributed to them. He was just... there. Jaune felt himself fading away, like some day he'd just stop moving, eating, breathing, and give up. Cinder was dead, which was great, no one was around to cause chaos anymore. But Jaune was left without his partner. His friend, girlfriend, something... Whatever she was to him, Pyrrha was still gone. She wasn't coming back no matter how many apparitions he drove himself to. Sometimes he'd stay awake for days on end to try and hallucinate about the redhead.

Jaune entered the small, cramped building wedged between two others. He took off his headphones and stopped the music, and Jaune could hear quiet chatter and silverware clanking on plates as waiters dashed around to various tables, taking orders and dishing out food. Jaune looked around and saw the unmistakable array of colors that were his friends. Ruby had asked if Jaune would like to join her and some of their old companions in a nice lunch together. He would've declined under normal circumstances, but he knew people would start asking questions if he acted too antisocial. Ruby, Ren, Nora, Yang, Blake, and Weiss sat at the circular table in the center of the room, the only one big enough for their entire group in such a cramped location. Did Ruby know this was his favorite place? They didn't plan this for hi did they? Jaune hoped not, he wasn't a fan of attention as of late.

When Nora saw her leader, she perked up and waved for him to come over. When the others noticed him, most smiled and waved at him (Poor Yang had to set down her fork to wave, since she only had one of her hands left. Jaune figured she had decided to go without the prosthetic today). Jaune waved back with a fake smile plastering his face. He walked over slowly and sat in the only seat left open; between Nora and Weiss. Jaune pulled his chair in as he sat down, the table remaining quiet to let Jaune get comfortable.

"So, Jaune," Ruby began after a moment of silence. "How've you been?" Her voice was light and perky like always.

"I've been good." Jaune stated blandly, looking down at the pre-ordered food in front of him, Dino shaped chicken strips and mashed potatoes, his favorite. Things seemed to nice, even for them. He was praying this wasn't going to turn out to be some kind of intervention. _We all feel you should just let go of your dead girlfriend and move on, it's what normal people would do,_ he imagined them saying. He wished this would be a normal get together, were he barely needed to talk.

"That's... good..." Ruby seemed to see right through his guise, but decided it was best not to set him off. Jaune had practically collapsed after Pyrrha died. Ruby wished she could help somehow but wasn't sure if there was any way to. Time healed all wounds, right? Chatter began once again around the table as everyone slowly began to eat. It seemed nice for a moment. Everyone was smiling, the food was great, but then Jaune noticed something. Across the table, a redhead with a gold circlet and ponytail stared back at him. She was standing up behind Yang, who gave him an odd look. He blinked rapidly, rubbing his eyes even. Why was she there? Was she saying something? Her lips were moving but she made no noise.

"Jaune," Weiss' voice broke through his conscious, snapping him back into reality. "Answer the lady." She whispered. Jaune frowned and looked back, realizing the girl was a waitress who had a similar look; red hair, a ponytail, green eyes... Did he just imagine she wore a circlet? He wasn't seeing thing again was he?

"I asked if you'd like more to drink." The waitress spoke in a smooth and steady voice, much like Pyrrha's. Jaune was caught up on the similarities. His mouth was dry, but all he could do was shake his head. The waitress - who's name tag read "Penelope" - gave him an odd look. Nora picked up on the similarities as well, and why he was acting so weird towards her.

"That'll be all, thank you." Nora waved off the waitress, who complied to her order. Jaune felt himself going stir crazy. His head bobbed slightly as he tried to keep his eyesight straight.

"Why'd you tell her to go?" Jaune asked, louder than normal. Everyone at the table stopped and looked at him. "We could've gotten her another seat, it's rude to tell your teammate she can't sit with us." Nora frowned slightly, looking around the table.

"Jaune...?" Ruby asked. "What're you-"

"Pyrrha is a good person, why must you always bring me down? Every time I see her, you act like she doesn't exist." He scratched his forearm nervously.

"Jaune, that wasn't-"

"You're just jealous, aren't you? Yeah, you're jealous of Pyrrha and I. Sorry Ruby, but I'm a taken man. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go console poor Pyrrha." Jaune stood up, pushing in his chair. He couldn't stand straight and he leaned on the chair's backrest for support. Ruby and Blake stood up in response.

"Jaune, look, you're not feeling good, maybe we should all just go somewhere private." Blake suggested, eyeing Ruby. Jaune blinked rapidly at them. "Come on Jaune, we all know that Pyrrha isn't really-"

"Hey!" Jaune interrupted, reaching for his sword. "My girlfriend could beat you in a second, watch what you say." At his motions, most of the others at the table stood up. Weiss tried putting a consoling arm on his shoulder, but he back away. "Stay away!"

"Jaune!" Yang balled her fist. She had seen this happen too many times. He needed help, but the rest of RWBY and JNR didn't think he should be taken to any kind of hospital or psych ward. Yang believed Jaune could seriously hurt someone if he kept up his insane act. "Pyrrha's dead, Jaune. You've got to face that. I'm done tiptoeing around you because you can't handle it!" The rest of the restaurant was now silent, watching closely at the show that was taking place in the center of the room.

"You'll be dead too if she hears you." Jaune warned. "She doesn't like being called dead, y'know. It's a little disrespectful."

"He's off his meds again isn't he?" Ruby whispered to Ren beside her, who only nodded in agreement.

"I told you I don't need them!" Jaune cried out. "This was a disaster, just leave me alone." Jaune pushed past the others as he made his way towards the exit. No one knew if they should let him be or if they should go after him. They all exchanged looks and eventually, one by one, began to sit down. Ruby looked at the door where Jaune was last seen walking out, wanting to help Jaune. That's the whole reason she planned this; she hoped she could slowly break Jaune from his habits. She felt like a terrible friend.

Later that night, Jaune stood on the balcony to his room. It wasn't large; maybe a few feet out from the building, with a metal guardrail and a sliding glass door. His apartment didn't feel much bigger either, but it was enough for just Jaune. He wasn't bunking with anyone, but Ruby and Yang lived right across the hall from his room. He stared up at the night sky, the stars seeming to twinkle in a pattern. It was serene and almost heavenly, with the moon hanging overhead with the stars. The city below the sky was bustling with activity and light pollution, but ti didn't disrupt his view of the starry sky.

"Hey, Jaune." A female voice called from inside his apartment. He turned around, noticing Ruby standing in the doorway. She was in her usual outfit, black combat skirt with red accents and a black leggings, finished off with boots that went up to the middle of her calf. She looked older though, like Jaune had just begun to see her how she really was. He always imagined her the sweet little girl at Beacon. Only now was he realizing how much older and more mature she looked. "Can I stargaze with you?"

"Sure..." Jaune paused and stepped aside, giving the short brunette room on the balcony. She stepped by his side, staring up at the sky dotted with bright white lights.

"It's beautiful out tonight."

"I agree." They stayed in silence for a while, Jaune not sure what to say. Sorry for having a mental breakdown earlier that day in front of all their friends? Sorry for being such a terrible friend? There were so many tings he could apologize for, he messed up so often, you couldn't put all of his mistakes on one list. Jaune gripped the metal railing tight, trying his hardest to refrain from crying.

"Hey, Jaune," Ruby turned her head to face him, seeing the stress in the blonde's face. She felt bad for him; he'd been through so much in the past through years. If Jaune could find a way to look at the world in a better way, maybe he could enjoy life again. Maybe he'd find someone nice, someone to make him forget about Pyrrha. _Forget is a strong word,_ Ruby thought. _Remember Pyrrha and respect her the way she should be, but... move on. That's it. Move on, Jaune. You can do it. I believe in you._

"Yeah?" Jaune asked, staring back down at her.

"You're okay." She said plainly. "You don't have to apologize for anything you've done today. Or this week. Or the past few years. It's okay to need help sometimes."

"But I can't be fixed. I'm a broken machine that has no replaceable parts." Jaune spoke quietly, as if someone would hear him. "After Pyrrha, I just..." He choked on his sentence, not able to spit out the last bit. But Jaune didn't have to, Ruby knew what he meant. Pyrrha's death hit Jaune like a train, it would do that to anyone. She was his best friend, practically girlfriend, taken away painfully. He couldn't help even if he wanted to, and to make it worse, she expressed her feelings for him right before she died. Jaune felt like he was the cause of her death, like he could've saved her if he was with Pyrrha.

"It's okay." She put a consoling hand on his shoulder, staring into his eyes. "You can cry if you want." And at that, Jaune couldn't hold it in anymore. He cried in front of Ruby, who didn't seem to mind. He didn't like crying in front of other people, especially his friends, but he couldn't keep it bottled up any longer. He spent a good hour venting to his long time friend about life, about Pyrrha... It helped Jaune to get it out in the air, and stop pretending like Pyrrha's death should never be talked about. Sure, it was sad, but they shouldn't hide it. Jaune felt like he could condition himself to work around Pyrrha's death if it was talked about more often, rather than lingering in the background silently. He still couldn't get Pyrrha's words out of his head, though. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't get the apparition's final remark from looping over and over in his head again and again.

Goodbye, Jaune.

 **a much more heavy chapter than usual, depression and anxiety and all that is not fun. But I thought it'd be nice to see a much more vulnerable side of our lovable idiot for once. Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed! Sorry for the long weight, a lot of things have happened in the past few days.**


	44. Cupid's Slingshot

**Thanks to** **Bov345** **for suggesting this chapter! BTW, I absolutely love the terminology you used. P-Money just seems like such a better way to say our dead friend's name. :P Hope you enjoy!**

"Psst!" Nora whispered over to Ruby, who sat on the other side of the table reading a book. She didn't read much at lunch, but decided it was a good time to catch up on the latest chapters while everyone else was finishing their food. She hesitantly looked up from her book, trying to fit in a few last words before looking across the table at the redhead. Ruby was a little confused as to why Nora was whispering, especially since she still spoke loud enough for the rest of the table to hear her. Most of them didn't pay attention to Nora's call, except for Yang who sat beside Ruby, listening intently.

"What's up Nora?" She asked in a quiet peppy voice.

"I think I have an idea for _you know who."_ She nudged her head at Jaune and Pyrrha, who were currently trying to throw grapes into each others mouths, missing terribly and having a good time while doing it. They looked so cue to Ruby, almost like they'd start cuddling on the bench at any second. They seemed so relaxed around each other.

"What do you mean?"

"It'll require a lot of dust... Get Ice Queen to help out and we'll have the perfect match up!" Nora looked over at Jaune and Pyrrha to make sure they weren't listening in.

"What exactly do you plan on doing to them?" Ruby asked. Asking for simply dust could mean she either wanted to blow them off the side of the cliff or give them frostbite, as well as anything in between. With Nora's mind, it could mean anything.

"I don't-" Ruby began, only to be interrupted by Nora.

"Tell her to bring absolutely everything she owns! I can't believe we haven't thought of this before!" Nora jumped up. "Meet me in your room at... Three o' clock!" She ran off in a cloud of dust, seeming to disappear as fast as Ruby could. And that was quite fast. Ruby shook her head slowly and sighed, checking the time. Only then did she realize it was 3:15. Did she know it was already past the time she asked? Ruby figured it was Nora's way of saying right now. Ruby stood up and waved to her teammates, leaving in the direction Nora had gone off in. Ruby figured Yang would cover her absence, since she had heard the whole thing. No one seemed to care that the two of them had left the table, everyone was engulfed in their own conversations to even notice.

When Ruby had entered their room, Nora was bouncing on her bed in anticipation. She seemed to not only let herself in, but make herself feel at home as well. Typical Nora, Ruby thought. "Good, you're here!" Nora gave a wide smile. "Although it would appear, you're twenty minutes late." Nora joked as she checked her invisible watch.

"What did you have planned?" Ruby asked, shutting the door behind her. She always liked playing matchmaker, being the cupid of other couples. She didn't do it often, maybe once or twice in her life, but it always made her feel like she had accomplished something afterwards. But whatever Nora had planned seem to go beyond Ruby's normal limits for playing god with relationships.

"Alright, so, you know how there's like, explode-y dust, icy dust, earth-y dust, and so on? Well, we're not using that kind. I'm talking about the kind that changes things. Like when you and Yang got the Switch Appearance dust from your dad a while ago. Except this time, I figured if we can look through Weiss' stuff and find something more... potent, maybe we could finally get them to realize how they feel about each other." Nora huffed, not taking a break between sentences and words until she was done saying what was on her mind. The idea interested Ruby; the thought of being cupid again made her feel nice and warm inside.

"Alright, Weiss keeps it in her closet." Ruby pointed to the wardrobe on the other side of the room, which had Weiss' glyph symbol itched in it. Nora smiled mischievously as she bounced off of the bed and skipped to the closet, swinging open both doors. At the bottom of the wardrobe were two large, jet black crates. Nora used either hand to pull them out of their resting place, leaving them in the center of the room.

"Alright buttercup, you check that one and I'll look through this one." Nora unclasped the hinges on either side and opened up the crate, looking through its assorted contents. Ruby followed suit and began to sift through the other crate, looking pat vials of all the colors of the rainbow, and then some. They all seemed to have random effects like weightless, fire, flying, power. Ruby wasn't sure what most of the longer words meant, so she simply skipped over them. Until she read a small glass vial with a red powder in it. The single word on the label was Affection.

"I think I found what we're looking for Nora," She held up the tube in success, Nora snatching it from Ruby's hands and examining the bottle.

"Yes, this is exactly it!" Nora frowned for a moment, seeming to realize something. "Let's keep looking for something to counter the effects even in case it doesn't work the way we plan." She decided, to which Ruby agreed to. What if they accidentally hit someone else, or the effects were much more potent than they believed?

The two of them searched through the crates for another couple of minutes until Nora gasped. "Got it!" She held up a black powder inside of one of the tubes. When Ruby examined further, she could see the word Disinterest. Ruby shrugged her shoulders.

"What're we gonna use to deliver the dust? I don't know about you, but simply throwing it at them seems a little... lethal. Glass shards and what not." Nora thought for a moment to try and answer Ruby's problem. She had a light bulb moment and ran through Weiss' stuff, gathering two bobby pins and a hair tie, finishing off her gear with a piece of ripped paper from Weiss' notebook. She fiddled with the materials for a moment before holding up a makeshift slingshot proudly, marveling at her work.

"Looks good to me. Let's get down there." Ruby decided, the girls packing up and putting away Weiss' things before leaving the room to meet the group before they left the cafeteria. Ruby held the bottle of Disinterest in her hand while Nora kept the Affection bottle in hers, ready to counter any unwanted attention or to neutralize a misfire. They couldn't just walk up to Jaune and Pyrrha, that'd be too obvious. Weiss would know in a heartbeat that they stole her materials, and it may not even work if the couple sees them do it.

"I'll distract them, you go in for the kill." Ruby informed Nora, who agreed to the plan. "Oh, and don't use all of it in one throw! Weiss would notice if one of her vials were empty!" Ruby advised as they split off, Nora standing with a group of students near team RWBY and JNPR's location. Ruby slowly crept up to them, tapping both Jaune and Pyrrha on the shoulder. Both turned to face her, which gave Nora the perfect chance to strike with their backs facing her. She sprinkled some of the dust into the slingshot's open holster, ready to simply pull back the hair tie and let the dust go flying. She lifted her hands up and aimed directly at Jaune, who was laughing at something Ruby had said. She took her time lining up her shot, earning her some strange looks from the other group of people she was hiding in. She let go of the hair tie and let the dust ball go flying, sailing through the air towards its target... Until Ren walked into the crossfire and hot hit directly in the chest with the powder. He was getting ready to throw away his food, and Nora silently cursed herself for not checking her surroundings. Well, at least the could see the effects without worrying about it ruining something between Pyrrha and Jaune.

Ren stepped back a few feet, shocked by the sudden attack, but soon his eyes glazed over and he stared into the distance blankly. Until, he turned around... And tried to kiss Yang. She seemed to be having a good time, until the dark haired boy tried landing a big wet kiss on her lips. She nearly gave Ren a punch to the face if she didn't think this was out of place for the quiet book reader. Something must've been off and Yang saw it. Nora couldn't do anything about it now except pray Ruby would use her dust to counter the effects. Ren continued to try and kiss Yang, causing quite the scene. But whatever Ruby was saying to them, it was definitely keeping their attention. They hadn't even looked over at Ren yet, too engulfed in Ruby's story to realize what was happening.

Nora took this as a sign to try again. She refilled and aimed the slingshot, making sure to check her surroundings before letting go of the hair tie. It flung through the air, leaving a faint trail of red mist behind it as it neared its target... only to be interrupted by Weiss trying to move out of the way of Ren and Yang practically fighting. Nora cursed herself again. Weiss' eyes grew larger and more puppy-dog like, instantly reaching over and grabbing Blake's collar, bringing her into a long and deep kiss. Blake seemed to freak out in a cat-like manner, flinging backwards and hissing. This was a train wreck.

Ruby finally noticed the commotion and decided to toss Nora the vial of Disinterest to counter it. Jaune and Nora watched as the bottle landed in Nora's hands, but their attention immediately went back to Ruby as she began her story again. What was she saying that was so interesting? It didn't matter, Nora had people to save. She filled the slingshot with the foul-smelling black powder and aimed at Ren, who was advancing on Yang. She let go, allowing the mist to spray over Ren. It hit the intended target for the first time, and Ren stopped in his tracks. He swayed on his feet for a moment before shaking his head.

"What...? Where am I?" he asked, looking around and holding his head. Nora would usually listen in on what Yang would reply with, but she still had one more problem to fix. She aimed the slingshot at Weiss, who was now reaching across the table to try and kiss Blake. She decided going around the table would be more effective than trying to go over it, so she tried moving around the side of it. Nora lined up the shot and let go, only for the Distaste to miss Weiss and hit Pyrrha in the back of the head. Nora gave a small yelp, afraid of what might happen.

Pyrrha had a look of confusion on her face for a moment, before scooted away from Jaune. "Why are you sitting next to me?" She asked him, not paying attention to Ruby's story anymore. Nora quickly loaded up more Affection dust and let it fly, accidentally hitting Jaune. He stuttered for a moment before trying to go in for a kiss on Pyrrha, who slapped his face. So now, they still had Weiss trying to suck face with Blake, Pyrrha hating Jaune, and Jaune trying to make out with Pyrrha.

Weiss can wait, Nora thought. She loaded up more Affection and let it fly, finally hitting Pyrrha. She stopped her ranting and looked around. "Wha... What's going on?" She asked. But before she could figure out what happened, Jaune planted a kiss on her lips. She seemed confused at first, but was way too happy to try and resist. She leaned into the kiss, and both Ruby and Nora gave silent thanks to their plan finally working. After a moment, Nora decided to hit Jaune with the Disinterest dust to make the effect ware off. She got a bulls-eye on him that time, and Jaune pulled away in confusion. But Pyrrha simply pulled him right back into the kiss. Nora and Ruby had accomplished their mission, but Nora still felt like she was missing something. Oh well, she thought. If it's important, it'll show itself sooner or later. She decided to join the rest of them and have fun watching the new couple enjoy their kisses.

Unfortunately for Blake, Weiss continued to chase her around the cafeteria for a few hours before Nora finally remembered what she had forgotten.


	45. Goodnight, Jaune

Jaune crashed onto his bed with a deep groan. After such a long day, he had felt completely drained of all energy. He sloppily undid the straps to his chest plate and tossed it into the corner of the room, and did the same with his shoulder pads. Jaune reached down and took off his shoes, curling hoes toes at the new found freedom. He dropped them next to his bed with a thunk, not caring about where they were. Jaune usually had enough energy left over in the day to at least hang up his armor and boots, but not today. He worked himself harder than normal, so Jaune decided it would be best if he simply took off what he was wearing and fell asleep there. No need to waste even more energy, right?

He pulled off his hoodie and tossed it into the pile that was accumulating in the corner of the room. Jaune's undershirt was now showing, something he normally didn't walk around in. His hoodie would always cover it up. He contemplated taking off his pants too, but decided he didn't want to get up and grab shorts, so he simply left them on. He closed his eyes and rested his hands behind his head, ready to enjoy a much deserved nap. Jaune deserved this, especially after the day he had training. He put everything he had into his training nowadays, using every last bit of energy to improve himself.

And then the door opened. Jaune let out an audible groan, opening one eye to see who it was. It was Nora, Ren and Pyrrha, all coming in one after another. Nora and Ren were talking about pancakes, or something of the sort, while Pyrrha seemed somewhat distant from the other two. Jaune would be sure to ask her what was wrong tomorrow, after he got his sleep that he needed dearly. Jaune adjusted himself and leaned over to one side of his bed, praying his teammates would leave him alone, just this once. He needed his sleep, and he felt like explaining why would be a waste of breath. The past few weeks had been especially strenuous on poor Jaune-boy, and he simply wanted some rest.

"Jaune?" Nora's voice was light and quit, almost a whisper. _Crap_ , Jaune thought. _I actually have to communicate._

Jaune opened his eyes and stared up at the redhead standing beside his bed. "Yeah?" He asked in a groggy, half-asleep voice.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good, I guess. Why do you ask?" Jaune looked up at Nora with a raised eyebrow, wondering where the question had come from. She didn't usually interrupt his naps, let alone with random questions.

"Just... Wondering." She flashed a weak smile, obviously thinking something should've been wrong. Jaune was too tired for this. Where did Pyrrha go? She was with them when they walked in, but now it was just Nora and Ren. He figured Pyrrha went off to the bathroom quickly and would return soon. Nora looked back at Ren, eyeing each other. Jaune didn't have time for their antics, so he simply closed his eyes again. "Well... If you need anything, anything at all, Ren and I will be here for you. Just say the word and we'll be by your side before you can say Pyrrha is-" Nora stopped herself, frowning. "Uh, we'll just be here really quick. Okay?" Nora seemed very worried for the blond, and Jaune wasn't sure why.

"Okay..." Jaune spoke. "I'll just go back to my nap, then." He sighed, getting back into his comfortable position. He didn't climb under the covers, instead relying on the warmth of the sunlight from the window of the setting sun. He felt too lazy to move, even if it was to get under the blankets. Jaune was ready for sweet dreams and relaxation.

And then he felt the weight of another person on the bed. Jaune frowned, opening his eyes again. Could he get a break? All the poor boy wanted was sleep, and he seemed to constantly be deprived of it recently. But he felt reinvigorated when he noticed it was Pyrrha who had conjured up in his bed. He raised an eyebrow, parting his lips to object, but Pyrrha brought a single finger to them. She flashed her beautiful, eccentric smile, the one that always made Jaune melt. Had he already fallen asleep? He had to, there was no way Pyrrha would act like this.

Speaking of, where was Pyrrha's stuff? He noticed there were only three beds in the room, Nora and Ren doing their own activities in theirs peacefully, as if Pyrrha sleeping with him in his bed wasn't out of order in any way. "Hello, Jaune." Pyrrha spoke quietly, her voice as smooth as a still lake. Where was all of Pyrrha's stuff?

"Pyrrha, what're you-?" Jaune was cut off by Pyrrha placing her lips gingerly on his, putting a hand on his shoulder. Jaune's eyes widened, the kiss seemed familiar in some way, although he had never kissed her 0 or anyone - before. Was he hallucinating? Was he dreaming? Was this actually happening? Jaune wasn't sure, but he liked it. He simply went with the flow, allowing his instincts to take over. He returned the kiss with passion, earning a small giggle from Pyrrha. The chuckle tickled Jaune's lips, which he thought was completely adorable. Pyrrha was so beautiful, even if it was just a dream.

When the two pulled away for air, Pyrrha had a look of knowing on her face. "I've waited so long to do that." She smiled softly, her lips pursing as she did so. Jaune wanted to continue kissing her full lips as long as he could, but knew he needed to contain himself. Or did he? Jaune was dreaming, he could do what he wanted. "Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, throwing Jaune from his thoughts.

"Yeah?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly. Jaune seemed nervous, and he wasn't sure why. Did Jaune feel like this in his other dreams? Did the kiss feel as real in his other dreams? Jaune wasn't sure, but either way, he was getting a make out session with the girl he was crushing on, so it as fine by him.

"I loved you." She spoke heavenly. Jaune blushed and smiled, then realized her wording was off. Loved? She didn't love him anymore? Before he could question her about it, Pyrrha pressed her head against his. She stared into his eyes with purpose. "I've always loved you." She planted another kiss on his lips, this time a short and sweet kiss rather than a long and passionate one. He just hoped she would keep the kisses coming.

"I... I love you too, Pyrrha." Jaune spoke on impulse. He meant every word, but he didn't need to think about saying it. He knew that would be his first words to Pyrrha if he was confident enough, but now that they had kissed, he was certain he could speak freely about his feelings.

"Jaune...?" Nora's voice rang from the other side of the room, followed by her beside lamp turning on. Jaune faced away from Pyrrha to look over at Nora.

"Sorry Nora," Jaune apologized. "Didn't know you guys were going to bed so early."

"Who were you talking to?" She asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Nora looked worried for him.

"To Pyrrha." Nora froze when he said that. Jaune frowned. "She's right-" When he turned back around, Pyrrha was nowhere in sight once more. Where had she gone to now? She was right beside him, in his bed, giving him kisses. He was sure she was there. He looked utterly confused, and soon Ren got up as well.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked, just as concerned as Nora.

"Pyrrha must've gotten up to get some water or something. When she comes back, I'll show you. Me and her were kissing! It was amazing, and we hugged, and did romantic things, and-"

"Jaune." Nora said sternly, stopping him mid-sentence. "Pyrrha's dead. She's been dead for months now. Just take a breath, it was probably just a dream." The words hit him like a train. The second Nora brought up her death, Jaune instantly remembered everything; Cinder, the tower, Pyrrha... That must've been why the kiss felt so familiar. It was one of the last things Pyrrha did with him before her demise. A single, solitary kiss to forever trap his feelings for the redhead.

"But... But..." Jaune looked around the room, as if he was expecting Pyrrha to still be there for some reason, as if he was still looking for the girl he loved. A frown plastered his face while his teammates gave him some quiet to figure things out on his own. They both knew how Jaune and Pyrrha felt for one another. It was a sad story of math, ironically enough. Jaune detested math, but one thing he had learned stuck out in his mind. Tangent lines. Out of everything that could possibly be running through his head, why some stupid lines?

Tangent lines meet once, and never meet again. Jaune realized they were like that. To come together in one final culmination of their feelings, grasping for one another right before they would depart forever. Jaune looked out the window, wondering if Pyrrha was really with him that night. If she was really there, if she had conjured up enough energy to bring herself back to the realm of the living once more to tell Jaune how she felt. Or, he was just a hallucinating idiot who lost his biggest crush. Either way, Jaune didn't stop staring up at the moon, destroyed but beautiful, wondering if he could focus hard enough and see Pyrrha up with the stars. It was a simple gesture, trying to see a lost loved one in the night sky, but Jaune knew it wasn't enough to bring his girlfriend back. It was too late for him to do anything. TO save her, to kiss her, to tell her how he felt... It was all over, and he couldn't do a thing about it, and Jaune could blame no one but himself.

Jaune tried his hardest day in and day out to try and stay strong after his partners demise, using anything he could to keep his mind off of it. That usually meant Jaune needed to work hard to forget, sending Jaune into a frenzy of training and fighting, all in order to try and keep his sanity. Why, out of everyone at this school, in this world, did it have to be Pyrrha to die young? She was brave, smart, athletic, she was the perfect woman, and all of her talent, and years of training, were put to waste. And for what? Because she wanted to save him? Because she valued Jaune's life over her own?

Sometimes Jaune wondered if she was even half as smart as everyone thought she was. Because if she was, Pyrrha wouldn't give her life to save some measly blond knight who couldn't do more than swing a sword and make some corny jokes. Unless, of course, it was for love. And if it meant that Jaune could switch places with her, to keep Pyrrha alive and save her from the gruesome fate she had ended up with, Jaune would've broken her heart months ago to try and keep her from sacrificing herself for him. He wasn't sure about much. Whether there was an afterlife, whether Pyrrha truly felt the way she did about him, whether it was worth it in the end to save him.

Jaune knew one thing was for certain; He knew Pyrrha would be his guardian angel, watching over him for the rest of eternity.


	46. Opposite Day

Jaune sat in the infirmary, wincing as the medical staff stitched his wounds and bandaged his bruises. He had a cut just under his left eye, there was a large gash across his right arm, and a stab wound on his side. Besides those, he was covered in minor cuts and scratches. Beacon was only a couple miles away, destroyed and infested with Grimm. Jaune tried to think about anything except what he was told; but his tries were in vein. He kept thinking about the words that had escaped Nora's mouth. "I'm sorry, Jaune." Nora's sweet, unusually solemn voice rang in his ears. "She's gone." He knew Nora said more after that, but he chose not to listen. Jaune already knew who she was talking about. His other half.

"You should be fine, nothing too major." The doctors voice broke Jaune from his thoughts. "Just stay well rested and on't strain yourself for the next couple of months. We'll let you get some sleep." Before the doc left, he put a consoling hand on his shoulder. "You did what you could at Beacon, and that's more than enough to have my gratitude. My daughter is alive because of you and your friends, staying back to fight off the attackers." Jaune looked up at the man, with a single tear in his eye. His salt and pepper hair reminded Jaune of a mix between Ozpin and Ren.

"Uh.. Yeah, just... Doing our jobs." Jaune spoke absentmindedly. He was caught up on what the doc had said. He had helped countless civilians get out of Bacon before the collapse. He found it ironic, that if he had simply went on one of the evacuating ships, Pyrrha could still be alive. But he chose to stay behind, with Pyrrha following his lead. He got Pyrrha killed. It was all Jaune's fault. That same thought plagued his mind for the next few days, taking most of his time to sleep or stare blankly at the hospital ceiling. Pyrrha was gone, and he hated himself for it.

Jaune received no visitors for the next couple of days. He made sure that the doc wouldn't allow anyone to see him until Jaune found himself presentable. He was a wreck. Who wouldn't be? Your soul mate, dying right after giving you the best - and only - kiss of your life. Simply evaporating into thin air. And, to make it worse, he could've done something. Jaune felt terrible about how he acted towards Pyrrha. Always shooing her off, going after Weiss. How could he not have understood who he truly loved, not because of looks, but because of their bonds, and friendship and moments together over the past semester. All of the moments they had together, now just a distant memory.

Exactly a week after the Beacon crisis, a loud and hearty knock woke Jaune from a peaceful slumber. With he groan, he spoke to the annoyance, "No visitors allowed." But that didn't stop the behemoth on the other side from pounding on the door again. Jaune let out an audible grunt and sat up in his bed, deciding he could use some human interaction. "Come on in, it's unlocked."

As instructed, the door swung open, and in came Nora Valkyrie, practically jumping into the room. She lunged onto the bed and gave Jaune a tight hug, practically choking him. Why was she s happy? The last time he had seen the redhead, Nora was barely alive by the looks of it. She didn't speak, she barely moved, and she never looked at anyone. The fall of Beacon had hit team JNPR hard (Or would it be team JNR?). Jaune would've pushed Nora off, but he didn't have the strength to. He just prayed Nora would hop off of him soon before he blacked out from lack of oxygen. Luckily, Nora noticed Jaune grasping for air and pulled away. "Oh-! Sorry." Nora dusted off her skirt and smoothed her outfit.

"What was that for? Do you want someone else in our team to die?" Jaune joked, realizing the words he had just spoke and sighed, looking down at his lap.

"Turn that frown upside down lover-boy, we're still team JNPR." Nora had a smile that spread from ear to ear. It freaked Jaune out a little bit. Who was ever this happy after their school was destroyed and their friends were dead, or hurt?

Jaune let out a small sigh. "Are you okay Nora? You're not too broken are you?" He asked.

"I've never felt better!" She stated with a broad smile. "And you will too! I've got something to show you. Can you walk?" She asked, seeming to be in a rush. Once again, Jaune was too baffled to ask what was happening.

"I can, but the doc says-" Before he could finish his sentence, Jaune was pulled out of bed by his arm and into the hallway, being dragged on his heels down the medical wing, earning a look from the nurses and family members of patients. "Nora, slow down! Where're you taking me?" Jaune asked, but wasn't given a straight answer.

"To the room of love and happiness, that's where!" As if she expected Jaune to know what that meant. She stopped suddenly, but surged Jaune into the doorway ahead of them; another patient's room. Jaune stumbled inside and hit the back wall, groaning as pain shot up his shoulder. Before looking around the room, Jaune began to berate Nora and her lack of care for his body.

"Nora, I know whatever you're trying to show me is supposed to make me feel better, but jeez, you could calm down a bit with the-" Jaune was cut off by a melodic angel.

"Jaune?" He stopped. Everything was frozen. Jaune couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe... That's exactly what he heard. An angel. A ghost. Shivers ran up his spine and goosebumps dotted his skin. Jaune slowly turned his head to the sound of the voice. On the bed in the center of the room, was the redhead who he had fallen in love with. Jaune's heart fluttered at the sight. She was in a red tank top, a small patch covering her chest where the arrow must've hit her. A few other bandages were placed on her body. Jaune was just happy she was alive.

"P-Pyrrha?" He asked, feeling Nora smiling behind him. "How... Where did... You...?" Jaune had too many questions to ask, so he formed them all into one, which didn't seem to work well. This earned him a small chuckle from Pyrrha.

"I don't know either. I thought... I thought I was going to die up there." Pyrrha looked down at her lap, not wanting to look Jaune in the eye. "I closed my eyes, and felt excruciating pain in my chest... Then there was a flash of white, then, the next time I opened my eyes, I was here. I've only been up for the past hour or so, regaining my consciousness." Pyrrha looked back up into Jaune's sapphire eyes with a small grin tugging on her lips. Pyrrha's plan failed, and she was glad it did; She was still alive, and so was Jaune. That's when Pyrrha remembered the last thing she did to Jaune; _kiss him._ How did he feel about that? Was he going to unfriend her? Was all of her effort in vein?

Jaune seemed to read her mind, answering the question for her... "Y'know, getting yourself killed is the absolute worst way to ask your crush out." A small smile grew on Jaune's face as well, seeing Pyrrha grow as red as a tomato. Nora gave a light squeal from the doorway as Ren joined her, not being able to stop himself from smiling.

"Jaune, I didn't..." Pyrrha began, but simply chuckled. Was was she trying to make an excuse? She kissed him, square on the lips. Her feelings were no longer a secret. She decided to word her next sentence differently. "Jaune, are you willing to-" But this time, when Pyrrha was cut off, it was because Jaune had crashed his lips onto hers, silencing the entire room for what seemed like a century.

But for Pyrrha and Jaune, a century wasn't enough.

 **I am very sorry for the lack of chapters these past few weeks, a couple things had come up and I wasn't able to access my laptop for quite a while! To make up for it, I strayed away from what I usually do and made the beginning sad, and the ending happy! I hope you all enjoyed, and expect updates to become much more regular than the past few weeks! Thank you for reading!**


	47. Doodles

**Just your friendly author reminder that this ship can never officially set sail :D Also, big update; I may be ending this story soon. Maybe at the 50 or 55th chapter? I'm not sure yet. But just prepare yourself that the end could possibly be near, unless there's like 600000000000 people who want me to keep going. It's really been fun writing these short stories for all of you, and it means the world that some of you keep coming back to read this long after it began.**

Pyrrha strapped on her armor just as the sun began to rise. She was almost always the first one awake, before anyone else would get up she'd tidy up the room a bit, collect the dirty clothes the other teammates left lying around, and got in a few more minutes of studying before the first of her friends awoke. Jaune was usually last to get up, providing a few minutes of free time to talk about Pyrrha's overwhelming crush for the blonde. As Ren and Nora slowly awoke, Pyrrha began to clear her books and notes and set them away in her desk neatly. Of course, what she wouldn't show any of them, even Nora (Who wanted to know every detail of Jaune and her's relationship), is the fact that she doodles. A lot. It was always something she'd do to keep from stressing. Pyrrha would still listen to the lecture of course. But she didn't feel the need to jot down every last detail. She could retain a few things in her memory.

Most of the time it'd be quick scribbles in the margins of her paper, maybe small monsters trying to eat the letters of her notes, or a new design for her armor. On rare occasions she'd do a quick portrait of Jaune; she used him for inspiration on multiple accounts, drawing him sitting at his desk either sleeping away or doing something irrelevant to the class. She admired his free spirit, no matter how much it hurt his grade. Pyrrha was there to help him study afterwards, so it was no big deal. Pf course, this was the reason she never liked handing her notes off to someone. Pyrrha doodled so much, almost the entire page would be filled. She had no clue what she would draw on some papers, which could earn her some odd looks (Specifically the ones about Jaune).

"Studying again?" Nora asked with a quiet yawn, rising from her bed like a ghoul from a cemetery. Pyrrha made sure to cover her notes with a textbook before closing the drawer shut.

"Yes, we have a test tomorrow in Oobleck's class, remember?" Pyrrha informed Nora, who shrugged it off. She stood and got on her normal attire for the day; A white combat skirt with a pink trim, finger-less gloves and sneakers. The heart shaped opening in the center of Nora's shirt always intrigued Pyrrha. She always mused that Nora wouldn't live if an arrow pierced her there, which got her thinking about her own armor. Pyrrha stared down at her cleavage, which was an even easier target than Nora's. She contemplated getting her father to get a now breastplate in order to prevent any mishaps with arrows to her chest, but decided there was another time for that.

Ren awoke soundlessly and threw on his clothes with a simply "Good morning" to the fellow women of JNPR. His green outfit matched his white pants quite well; the pink strip in his hair was a little out of place in Pyrrha's eyes, but to each their own. She couldn't help but smile; This was the group that would help her survive her time at Beacon. Ren, being Pyrrha's study buddy on long nights. Nora, her gossip machine to help get stress out with. And Jaune... What wasn't he? He seemed to be what her world revolved around. Jaune was by far her best friend, companion in combat, and leader. Together, she believed nothing could take the four of them down. It was JNPR against the world, and Pyrrha mused at the idea of the world needing more fighters to combat them.

"Any news on lover boy and the never ending chronicles of getting him to fall for you?" Nora asked as she ran a comb through her hair. There was a small, tired smile on her face. She had stayed p late last night trying to beat RWBY's score on one of her video games, which is why she seemed so tired to Pyrrha.

"Nothing much." Pyrrha spoke quietly. "He's as naive as ever. I honestly think he may never get the hint, no matter how many I give him."

"He just needs some time to get them through his thick head is all, you'll see. It'll hit him like a train." Nora gave a reassuring, unsure smile to Pyrrha as she put her comb back on her dresser. Pyrrha smiled softly, thankful her friends were confident in her goals. Jaune had always been so caring for her, how could he not be taken yet? Sure, he wasn't the best fighter, and he wasn't the smartest, but he was definitely a sweet, genuine boy. Something you couldn't find too often.

Pyrrha let out a short breath before speaking. "I... think I'm going to ask him out." She spoke quickly and quietly, but it was enough to cause Ren and Nora to snap their heads in her direction.

"Are you actually going to?" Ren asked, seeming to be surprised.

"You've only said that a million times before," Nora added, which was responded with a chuckle from Pyrrha.

"I promise you, the second he wakes u and get's his things ready, I'll ask him to some coffee or something. Maybe Nick's?" She suggested, causing a shrug from the other redhead and Ren.

"We can only nudge you along on your path young grasshopper, we can not choose everything for you." Nora spoke like a jujitsu master training a young apprentice. Ren seemed to smile at it, also soliciting a grin from Pyrrha. "Besides, I'm sure whatever you chose to do will be fine."

"What're we choosing to do?" Jaune asked groggily as he raised from his bed, rubbing his head. Pyrrha and Nora gasped and jumped at the sight of Jaune being awake. How long was he up? Pyrrha prayed it wasn't too long, or she'd have some explaining to do.

"Uh, just... thinking we should go out and train in the arena is all. The Vytal festival is coming up, so we need to be in tip top shape!" Nora covered for Pyrrha, earning her a silent _thank you_ from the redhead.

"That sounds like a good idea," Jaune nodded his head as he threw on his hoodie, jeans and armor plates. When he was finished, he topped off his look with the signature sword and shield sheathed around his waist. Jaune rand a hand through his hair before flashing a smile at his team. "You guys ready to go eat?" He asked, and wondered why the rest of them seemed to glare into his soul. "What's wrong? Cardin didn't draw something on my forehead again did he?" Jaune began scrubbing his forehead to see if any marker would come off.

"No Jaune, I think you're fine for now." Pyrrha gave a warm smile to try and ease her nerves, but it only seemed to make things more awkward. "I was also thinking that, if you're free later today, we could stop by a coffee shop in Vale. Maybe we can shop for a new pair of jeans?" She offered, motioning to the ripped up denim around his legs.

Jaune looked down at the jeans he wore, and agreed that they've seen better days. Cut up, with plenty of holes in them. Not great combat gear. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. New pants are always a good thing." Pyrrha silently thanked him for giving the answer she wanted. She almost jumped around in excitement, but managed to hold it in for the time being. Of course, Nora and Ren could see it in her eyes; she was ready to explode from happiness.

"How about we get some breakfast? I'm _starving!_ " Nora spoke up, grabbing Ren's arm and leading him down the hallway with Jaune and Pyrrha in tow.

"When do you want to go?" Jaune asked.

"I was thinking later today if you're free." Pyrrha offered, striding alongside Jaune, her high heel boots creating a constant click clack on the ground.

"After training? That sounds great to me. I didn't even know you liked coffee." Jaune commented absentmindedly. It was true, Pyrrha detested the strong liquid. She always seemed to burn her tongue, and not to mention, the coffee she always had could never seem to get the right amount of sugar. It was either too much or too little, making her experiences with the dark roast less than desirable.

"Then it's settled." Pyrrha smiled softly at the ground, believing she may actually have her first boyfriend after tonight. _Could this really be happening?_ Pyrrha prayed she wasn't dreaming. "Are you prepared for the Vytal festival next week?" Pyrrha asked. With the festival so close, there wasn't much else being talked about around Beacon. Preparations were still being set, rosters made, and tickets purchased.

"I think I'm as prepared as I'll ever be, thanks to your training. Thank you so much for being there to help me when times were tough." Jaune looked at the ground, remembering all the times he had spent training with Pyrrha on their balcony. Jaune perked up again, becoming his usual, cheery self. "I'm sure you're going to _kill_ it in this championship."


	48. I'll Always Love You

**Just a short chapter since I'm a little low on ideas. Also, another update; I've decided that whatever the majority vote is (Whether I should keep the story going or stop it sometime soon) will win. So as long as there's more people who want to see more than there are people who want it end, I'll keep it going. Once again thank you so much for reading, it means a lot to me. Enjoy!**

 **This chapter is based off of the artwork by efr-s, and thanks to patleon909 for helping me figure that out!**

Pyrrha drifted in the sky aimlessly, staring down at the buildings and clouds silently. It was peaceful, especially after the things she had been through that day. Instead of her armor, Pyrrha wore a simple, frilly white laundered dress. Her hair was loose, an for once out of its ponytail. She felt no pain, and there was a constant warmth around her. She felt like this was some kind of heaven, but decided to wait on that judgement. She seemed to stop above a specific street, slowly gliding down. On the ground was a familiar blonde, scarred and bruised from recent combat. She saddened at the sight, praying Jaune would be alright. He looked so peaceful and still.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha called, her voice echoing like a ghost. She gasped lightly. That's what she was, a ghost. An apparition. _I'm probably not even real, just my brain making things up as my brain slowly shuts off permanently,_ she concluded. She was gone and there was no way to change that. Why was she such an idiot? She could be with Jaune, safe and sound in Vale, holding him close and never letting him go. But instead, she played the hero again. She just had to get herself killed. And for what? What did she end up changing? To her, it seemed like nothing.

Pyrrha jolted at the sight of Jaune trying to sit up. His hands and knees were in the rubble, bleeding and aching. Pyrrha wanted to help him, but knew there was nothing she could possibly do. Instead, she simply watched with tearful eyes as he stood up, shakily planting his feet on the ground. He stared down at the asphalt, the memories of the past few hours playing back in his head like a broken projector. He sniffed, rubbed his eyes once before falling back onto his knees and beginning to sob. He was lucky no Grimm or White Fang were around, he wouldn't have the strength to fight anything in the condition he was in. "Pyrrha..." He managed to choke out.

Pyrrha frowned and felt the urge to cry herself, seeing someone she loved be in so much pain. Did she cause this? Was he crying over her death? This only saddened Pyrrha more, but only let out a single tear from her eye. She could feel her life force fading away. Before the moment was over, Pyrrha decided to do something she'd wanted to do with him for forever. She leaned over his back, and simply hugged him. She couldn't actually touch him, but it was the thought she was going for. She wished so badly to return to him and tell Jaune every last little detail about how she felt about him, but knew she'd never get the chance. Her arms wrapped around his neck gently as the boy continued to sob, Pyrrha holding on to the embrace from behind him.

"I'm sorry..." She spoke the last words she had ever said to him once more, closing her eyes. Se wasn't sure why... but she began to smile. It tugged at the corners of her lips, like this is what she wanted the entire time. Maybe it was the sheer irony of the situation? Maybe she was going crazy, since she was literally losing her mind? Pyrrha had no clue, but she couldn't stop smiling. "Goodbye, Jaune... I'll always love you..." She spoke softly, feeling her limbs slowly fall numb as Pyrrha's force began to fade, letting the warmth consume her and fade out of existence forever.


	49. Gone With the Wind

Jaune stared down at the patch of dirt among the grass. It was freshly tossed, with the stone slab behind it having been cut just weeks before. Jaune sniffed and closed his eyes. A single rose hung loosely in his hand, threatening to fall out of his grasp if the wind picked up any more. Jaune was alone in the Emerald Forest, just outside of Beacon's ruins. It was a small grove, just a patch of flat ground guarded by trees and vines. It looked almost too perfect to be a burial place in such a deadly, Grimm infested forest. As if moving from his spot would set off a trap. The sun was high in the sky as sunlight shone through the branches that hung overhead, creating a perfect ray of sunshine on the headstone.

Jaune had been there for a couple of minutes by himself, but before that he was with Nora and Ren. They had left to give him some alone time with the single grave, but Jaune didn't feel alone. He knew Pyrrha was watching over him. He knew she was still there, by his side, protecting his back at all times. Like a sixth sense almost. Jaune never really thought about the afterlife, but ever since Pyrrha's death two weeks ago, that was all he ever dreamed of. To know that Pyrrha didn't simply die, but that she was waiting for him in a nice cottage in the middle of an autumn forest eased the pain a bit. He could take his sweet time living, Pyrrha wasn't going anywhere. She would still be waiting for him to live out his life. The thought made Jaune feel a little better, but not much. She was still gone from his life.

Jaune looked up from the ground to reread the headstone before him. _Here lies Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral Champion, Warrior, and Friend._ He chuckled at the last line. Was that all she was? A friend? Or was she more? Jaune wasn't sure. He wanted them to be, more than anything. Jaune mused that necrophilia wasn't all that bad, before going back to his grim expression. There was more on the neatly carved stone, but he hated reading it, especially the last line. _Gone, but not forgotten._ A single tear rolled down the blondes cheek, and unlike when he was with his friends, Jaune let it go. He didn't care about how he looked or the fact that he would begin crying soon. Everyone knew what Pyrrha meant to him and vise versa. Of anyone at this school, Pyrrha's death would always be the most tragic.

He remained in this spot for another hour, just soaking in the fact that she was really gone. The worst part was that the grave was empty. They put a coffin in the ground with her shield and shattered sword, but besides that, it was just a box in the ground. Jaune balled his fist. Ruby had seen what happened to her, the arrow, the disintegration, she knew how she sounded and how she looked when Pyrrha died. Jaune would have to see it to believe it; He couldn't imagine watching Pyrrha strain for breath, slump over, and slowly float away into the wind as she turned to ash. Of course, the sword and the shield weren't the only thing they recovered from Beacon. They also had Pyrrha's circlet she wore on her head, but everyone decided it'd be nice to have a memento of their friend and teammate. It currently resided in Jaune's backpack, along with camping materials. Nora, Ren and Jaune were getting ready to meet Ruby, which was quite a while away. They were ready for the journey though, to help get back at everything that's happened would be more than enough motive for Jaune.

"I'll be with you again someday." Jaune spoke softly, his voice cracking. "I just wish... I wish you could've shown me sooner..." His voice trailed off, hearing footsteps behind him.

Nora's perky but solemn voice rang soon after. "We should get going soon Jaune. Take your time though, we don't want to rush you or anything... We know it's hard to believe." She spoke just as softly as Jaune was before she arrived. The blonde knight didn't react at first, simply standing in the late autumn air. But eventually, after a deep breath, he let down the flower on top of the dirt, regaining his posture and sniffing once more. Before facing his teammate, he wiped his eyes.

"I'm ready." Jaune slowly began to walk away from the grave, snow beginning to fall lightly from the clouds rolling in overhead. He took one glance back at the gravestone before leaving the grove for what could be forever, if he died on their great journey ahead of them. The thought of death didn't bother him anymore. He knew what could be waiting for him on the other side, and he was prepared to see her again. Jaune's last thought as team JNR made their way down a small dirt path was a single word on Pyrrha's gravestone. It had bugged him for the past hour, and it would continue to bug him for the majority of the trip.

 _Friend._


	50. When the Match is Over

**Hey guys, I know a while ago I promised a long chapter. But I decided that I'd rather do a memorable, short, sweet chapter rather than just some long drawn out one. Thank you all so much for sticking with me (And my terrible, death related jokes) for 50 entire chapters, I've never written any story this popular before, thank you all so much.**

Jaune felt uneasy sitting in the comfy red seat. Beside him were two of his best friends, Nora and Ren, staring off into the distance. Ren was calm and collected, relaxing in his seat. Nora on the other hand wasn't even in hers. She was standing up, leaning over the railing, shouting profanities along with hundreds of other students and civilians. The Vytal Festival was in full swing, with the Singles tournament taking place. Currently the battlefield remained empty. No fighters came out yet, but Jaune knew who one of them would be. Even though he knew Pyrrha could handle herself, and the rest of the team, Jaune was always scared of her getting hurt, even the slightest scratch could make Jaune grimace.

"Something's not right..." Jaune said, thinking about how Pyrrha was acting before she left for the tournament. Penny, the sweet young girl who mysteriously showed amazing potential, was her rival tonight. wasn't anywhere in sight. He knew Pyrrha well, or at least he thought he did. Their friendship was magical even if he wanted it to be more. Under normal circumstances Pyrrha would be more than happy to participate, but she seemed down and depressed earlier. Why was she like that, Jaune wondered. Her reputation and honor was on the line, and she wouldn't miss it for the world, but he still felt like Pyrrha might need some cheering up. "I'll be back." He said, standing up and brushing past Nora as he made his way towards the service exit.

He clambered down the stairs and searched for his teammate among the chaos below the stage, where everyone was getting ready for their battles and what not. He hoped to see Yang down here, but then remembered the incident that happened before, where she broke that poor kid's legs. He didn't think she did it on purpose, and she definitely shouldn't be disqualified for it. Jaune saw the two exits that led up to the stage, and Jaune followed one of them.

The pathway was windy and slim, but the closer he got to the top, the more spread out and straight it got. Finally he found the redhead, sitting down on the steps just before the stadium. Her head was bowed and she hugged her legs to her chest. "Pyrrha?" Jaune called, and the warrior quickly lifted her heads up and tried to make herself presentable.

"Jaune...? What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice cracking and wobbly. Once she took a second to calm herself, she spoke in a harsher tone. "You're not supposed to be here, it's for the fighters only."

"I thought you could use something to cheer you up." Jaune said, sitting down beside her. "What's a better gift than the gift of a free idiot?" He asked motioning to himself, drawing a smile and a pained look from Pyrrha. "What's wrong, Nikos?" Pyrrha sniffed once and turned to face him.

"I'm not sure if I should let you know what's wrong. Even if I wanted to, I'm not sure how to explain it. Everything is just... falling apart, and I don't know how to help. I feel like I'm watching my life wither away, and the person I want to spend my life with doesn't feel the same way." She huffed and looked into his sapphire eyes. "I don't think I can do this tournament."

"Oh, pish posh, you're Pyrrha Nikos!" Jaune exclaimed. You're the best fighter in the entire world, and you're an even greater friend. Just..." Jaune took a moment to find the right words to say. "You are the most wonderful girl I know. How about this. If you win this round, I'll wear a dress to the next ball again." He smiled the same goofy smile Pyrrha loved, which only made it harder for her to stand up.

he let out a laugh and brushed off her armor after standing tall. "Sounds like a deal, Jaune." She thought about attempting to kiss Jaune there, but decided now wasn't the time. "I'll... try to tell you about my problem after this match." She gave off a genuine smile to him, but it didn't last long. "I promise." To that, Jaune smiled brightly.

"That's the Pyrrha I 'll do amazing, I guarantee it." He decided to act on his gut feeling and pulled Pyrrha in, kissing her cheek quickly. His heart raced and his face turned red, but that didn't stop him. He pulled away quickly and Pyrrha seemed to have the same effects. Blushing as red as her hair, and Jaune could practically see her heart beat out of her armor. He prayed she wouldn't scold him for the cheek kiss, and to his delight, she giggled.

"Thank you Jaune... I'm really glad I have a... Friend, like you." She paused on the word friend, but Jaune didn't think anything of it. He simply smiled, and backed away as the podium she was on began to rise up to take her to the stage as it called her name. Jaune reached his hand out and grabbed hers, their arms having to reach further and further as they moved away.

"I'll see you after this match, Jaune." Pyrrha gave his hand one last squeeze before they both let go, and Pyrrha ascended to the stadium. Jaune let out a sigh, knowing that could've been his chance to actually kiss her. He walked back to his seat rather quickly, watching the match eagerly.

"Was Pyrrha okay?" Nora asked Jaune. He simply nodded as the match begun.

"Everything's going to be fine, I know it."

 **Sorry for the late update once more, but I've been dropping in and out with RWBY, I can guarantee that I'll write more once Volume 4 comes out, but until then my posts may be minimum. Thank you for reading!**


	51. Jealousy

**Hey guys, once again I'm sorry for not really writing much, I know for a fact I'll write more when Volume 4 starts coming out, thanks for being so patient! (And as a reward for being patient I shall keep the gruesome reality out of this chapter)**

"Oh, keep your pants on for Pyrrha's sake." Nora exclaimed as she entered the bedroom with a small chuckle, followed close behind by Ren.

"Shush Nora, I'm fully dressed, you can open your eyes Ren." Jaune scoffed and a sigh of relief came from Ren as he was able to open his eyes. Nora played that joke every day ever since his "accident" with morning wood. It was worse than an accident, it was a catastrophe. Everyone in his dorm - including Pyrrha - had seen it. It was one of the most embarrassing parts of his life, right next to the time when he got a scrapbook with all of his baby pictures for all of team RWBY and JNPR to see.

"Oh lighten up Jaune, it's just a joke." She flopped down onto her bed with a giggle. "Pyrrha will be up in a second, she was saying how she was thinking of ways to get this guy to ask her out." Jaune turned quickly to face Nora after she finished talking.

"She's... trying to get with some guy?" He asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Oh yeah, a total hunk, blond hair, quirky, carries a really old stupid sword. Reminds me a lot of you, Jaune." Nora said nonchalantly. She began doing menial tasks while she talked like playing with her hammer while jumping up and down on her bed. She looked over at the blond knight and noticed his sudden change of mood. "Somethin' bothering you Jaune?"

"N-no, of course not!" He said, hiding his fist behind his back. "Everything's fine, why wouldn't it be?" Inside of his mind though, Jaune knew there was something wrong. The person she described was exactly like him! No one's more quirky than Jaune Arc! What could Pyrrha see in that guy that Jaune didn't have? What traits and looks could this mysterious guy have that he was lacking? "I think I'm going to head down and look for Pyrrha, we've gotta start training soon." Jaune hopped up and got his gear together, taking a second to look in the mirror and try a few poses to see what made him look the most buff before heading out the door.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune called. "Where are you?" He strolled around Beacon looking for his redhead companion. It was getting late, the sun was just barely visible over the horizon. It was a beautiful sight at Beacon to watch the sunset since it always seemed to make the school look and feel warm and inviting. No one ever missed the sunsets here if they could, but Jaune was focused more on finding his crush and seeing his competition.

Eventually he stopped as he saw Pyrrha in the distance walking towards the dorms. She was alone, cradling herself in her arms. Did that guy hurt her? Was she heartbroken? Either way Jaune knew he should be there for her. "Pyrrha!" He called again as he raced to catch up to her, matching her speed when he was by her side. She seemed surprised that he was there, but a wave of relief splashed over her face.

"Oh Jaune, it's you." She smiled warmly. "Sorry I'm late for practice, I was caught up with-"

"Say no more, I understand." He said. "So, is this guy a total stud muffin? Is he like, 6'7 with a six pack or something? Are his jokes actually funny?" Jaune asked with a bit of his emotions spilling out into his words, a slight hint of frustration peaking his voice. Pyrrha looked up at her blind knight with an odd look.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nora said you were talking to some guy. A total hunk." Jaune tried his best to keep from showing interest in her, since she couldn't have any feelings for him. He tried, but she's looking into other guys. She would never be his and he was having a hard time dealing with it. Jaune never thought of himself as the jealous type. But with Pyrrha, he felt possessive over her. Not in a weird way, just... He always got butterflies in his stomach when she was away from him, especially when she was talking to other guys he didn't know.

They made their way to the dorm room and shut the door behind them, Ren and Nora perking up at the sight of their full team together. "I have no idea what you're talking about Jaune." Pyrrha exclaimed, turning to Nora. "What did you-?"

"Oh," Nora sat up. "I was telling Jaune all about that incredibly sexy man you were talking with. Y'know, the blond one with that geeky sword he carries around with him? Incredibly dorky with a sweet atmosphere around him?" Nora grinned and nodded her head in Jaune's direction, to which Pyrrha finally understood. She had a small smirk on her face, one she couldn't hide.

"Oh, you mean J.A. Yeah, he's incredibly handsome. I feel like he's the reason I get up in the morning. He's the reason I go to bed early so I can get up and see him again. You should really meet him sometime Jaune, he's quite a good guy. He reminds me a lot of you, you'd get along well." Pyrrha grinned as she watched Jaune's face turn red. Was he getting jealous? He definitely looked flustered.

"I'd love to meet him!" Jaune exclaimed, turning on his heel to go into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Pyrrha and Nora shared a laugh with each other at the situation they were in. Jaune was getting jealous... Over himself.

 **Just a short little fluff chapter cause why not. Thank you all for reading!**


	52. Gone With the Wind Finale

**Thought this was a little open ended and a good thing to wrap up. Hope you all enjoy!**

Jaune stepped forward into the familiar patch of open grass surrounded by trees and vines. It was decrepit and slightly spooky, like something you'd see in a horror film right before the blond girl gets nabbed by the killer. It was just as quiet, too. The wind rustling through the leaves of the trees and the occasional chirp of a bird was the only sound that made its way into Jaune's head. He wasn't a fan of the quiet. He always preferred having something in the background like small chatter or soft music. The quietness always made him feel like something would pop out at him at any moment.

Jaune felt saddened the second he entered the grove. He knew exactly what this place was, exactly what it meant to him, and exactly who rested before him. Someone dear to him. Someone who meant the world to him. The slab in front of him was starting to get covered in moss and surrounded by tall grass, with a small chip in the bottom left of the headstone. Jaune shivered, feeling as if the small crack on it was his own soul. He wished he could preserve the grave as much as he could, taking a moment to wonder if there was some kind of dust to preserve items. To keep nature from destroying this place of rest.

"Hey, Pyrrha..." Jaune winced at his own words. It had been so long since he said her name. _Pyrrha. Pyrrha. Pyrrha_. He kept running it over in his head, as if it would somehow bring her back. Jaune still couldn't believe she was gone. When he set out from Beacon's ruins, he thought he may never be able to come back and see is dearest friend. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad. It would just bring back memories from a time he couldn't revert back to. And yet here he was, seven years later standing before her again. "I'm back. I hope you're happy to see me." He slowly sat down in front of the grave.

Jaune's voice was remarkably deeper. Jaune mused that if Pyrrha could hear him, she wouldn't believe it was the same idiot she liked all those years ago. He let out a sigh and stared up at the sky. It was sunset, with the rays coming in through the leaves onto Jaune. His armor hadn't changed much and neither did his appearance. He got a little taller and a bit more muscular, but besides that, he still was astonishingly the same.

When his head dropped back down to the small rock in front of him, he reread the entire message. _Here lies Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral Champion, warrior, and friend. Gone, but not forgotten._ Jaune wasn't sure how he felt anymore. Was he still in love with Pyrrha? Should he devote himself to her memory or move on from her? He wasn't sure the answer of that, and probably wasn't going to find it for a long time.

But Jaune still couldn't wrap her head around the meaninglessness of it all. The fight. The death. The fall. It all seemed like Pyrrha was giving up by the sound of it. Like she just gave up and decided "Hey, if I don't feel like living anymore, I may as well go down swinging." Jaune tried his best to keep away from thinking of a suicidal Pyrrha. The thought that she knew she would die, and did it anyway, made him feel even worse. He switched his thoughts over to the scenery around him, wondering if he would get eaten by an Ursa while he was moping.

Another thought that came through his mind a lot was if she meant the kiss she gave him. He wondered if she even liked him at all. That the only reason Pyrrha kissed him was for the hell of it, since she'd be dying in a matter of minutes anyway. Jaune prayed she truly did. He never asked his teammates if they knew anything about how Pyrrha felt. He didn't want to be disappointed if the answer was no. He'd rather stay ignorant than feel even worse.

"Hey Jaune." He heard a melodic, almost unnatural voice call to him. He raised his head up suddenly, wondering if what he heard was real. "Jaune?" The voice called again. It sounded like Pyrrha.

"Is... Is that...?" He asked the gravestone, only to be interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.

"Jaune, buddy, you with us?" He shook his head to get out of his dreamy state and realized it was Nora calling him. _Figures_ , he thought. It was too good to have Pyrrha talk to him form the afterlife. "We're glad we caught up to you finally." The sound of footsteps behind them let Jaune know the rest of his team was behind him. They all had taken a journey back to this place of rest to visit their dear friend. Jaune was too excited to wait and went off ahead of the team, just to get a little alone time with his greatest friend and companion.

"Just thought I'd say hi first is all," Jaune smiled up at Nora. It wasn't forced or fake either; Jaune had finally been able to smile. Sure, it took him a long time and a lot of trying, but he was finally able to forgive the world for what it had done to him. This caused a small chuckle from Nora.

"I wasn't complaining Jaune-y, you two were the closest after all." That was another thing. Jaune never felt like he'd throw up when someone mentioned her death anymore. He finally coped with it, and although he wished more than anything that Pyrrha was still here, he accepted it. He couldn't do a thing about it, but that was okay. Jaune would live out his life free of trying to hide from it. If there was some kind of afterlife, Jaune knew Pyrrha would be waiting for him there. He assumed there was and left it at that.

Jaune turned and looked at all of his friends. There were some new ones and some old ones, and Jaune knew he could trust all of them with his life. But he focused on those who knew Pyrrha. Those who were with him from the time they met to the time she died. There was four of them, the one's who knew just how much the blond knight loved the redhead. Ren and Nora stood out the most from the crowd. But there were others, like Ruby, who lived through this crazy ride and stood by his side now.

He could almost here the ending music of his life playing in the background. The kind of song that's sad but comforting, with words that had real meaning. The kind you always hear at the end of movies or video games when the main character's story was done, nothing more to add to it. Jaune thought of that song that played during their dance all those years ago, when he danced all night in a dress with the beautiful redhead. Sure, Jaune wasn't dying right now. But he knew this was the end of his epic tale. His wild stories would end after this, and that's all they'd be. Stories. A small smile grew at the corner of his lips, glad to know he was done, that the world was cleansed of evil after so many years of loss and sacrifice.

Jaune stood up and smiled down at the grave, reading its words one last time. Who knows, maybe this could be the last time he sees Pyrrha's resting place for the rest of his life, and Jaune was perfectly fine with that. She could live on in his dreams. "Goodbye, Pyrrha."


	53. Pyrrha's Rough Day

Pyrrha tumbled down the hallway, dropping her papers as she went. "I'm sorry!" She said every time she bumped into someone. The redhead was more focused on trying to get to Professor Oobleck's class on time, she was already fifteen minutes late. She had a very important test in that class, and if Oobleck handed out the essay already, he wouldn't allow her to enter the class. She didn't care how many papers she lost on her way or how many people she bumped into; she needed to take that test today.

The young huntress left her room with an entire stack of papers, and by the time she made it her classroom, she had about 4 pages of notes left. She couldn't care, this was the final test of the semester. She could regain the notes from someone else later on, during their break. She couldn't retake the test, however, since the grades were due tomorrow, he'd have no time to allow Pyrrha to retake it and get her score in time. She burst through the door, everyone in the class turning to face her. Slowly, the doors behind her came to a close.

"Ms. Nikos!" Oobleck called out. "Running late are we? You're just in luck." Pyrrha stared wide eyed, Oobleck's hand just inches away from putting down the first paper. If she arrived just three seconds later, she would've missed it. Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm so sorry Professor, my alarm didn't go off and then Ren's hair caught on fire, and Nora's pancakes were in my-"

"Enough excuses young lady, find your chair and prepare for the test." She did exactly as she was told and sat down with a huff, briefly looking through her notes before setting them away and looking down at the test that was set out in front of her. Pyrrha's eyes drooped, and she put a hand on her head to rest her aching neck for a moment. She ended up doing this for a few minutes, and eventually fell asleep quietly at her desk.

When Pyrrha woke up, she looked around, dazed for a moment before staring at the clock in shock. She had fifteen minutes left to complete a test that's normally done in the entire hour long class period. She mentally freaked out for a moment before regaining control and beginning to work through the test as fast as she could. Pyrrha was thankful that the test had simple questions for the most part, allowing her to zip through with ease as she tried catching up with her time constraint.

Pyrrha worked up until the very last second, her pencil practically smoking by the time Oobleck called out, "Put down your writing utensils and hand in your tests!" She got up sluggishly and, along with the other students, turned in her (mostly) finished assignment. Oobleck took a quick glare at her as he took in the tests. Pyrrha's morning was going awful so far. She slept in late, didn't have time to take a shower or brush her hair, Nora somehow managed to get pancakes and syrup all over the entire room, and Ren's hair caught on fire... which was a long story to explain. Ren, Nora and Jaune left before Pyrrha at her request. As stated before the grades were finalized tomorrow, and Pyrrha needed to find her work from the last time she was absent to turn in for Oobleck. Luckily she found the papers she needed and managed to turn in whatever she didn't drop out in the hallway.

The rest of JNPR joined Pyrrha outside of their class as they all left. "I started to lose my mind after the 215th question." Ren said, clearly exhausted from the intense, stressful hour they had.

"I zoomed through it, it was eeeaaasy." Nora waved her hand dismissively, which caught Ren off guard. She hated studying and never seemed to pay attention in class. Either she completely failed and didn't know it, or she somehow managed to retain memory much better than he did.

"Are you kidding? I didn't even get to the 200 question mark!" Jaune exclaimed, a hint of frustration in his voice. "I got to like, 156 before I dozed off and contemplated being a farmer."

"Oh hush Jaune," Pyrrha said. "I'm sure you did fine for what you completed. You're very smart." She encouraged her leader. Deep down inside, Pyrrha knew Ozpin would never let Jaune get expelled from the school or kept back, he saw the same great person inside of him as Pyrrha did. Not to mention, he was trying to play matchmaking with them two, which Pyrrha didn't mind at all. It got creepy at times, but Pyrrha needed all the help she could get.

"It was just really hard." Ren stated. "I'm sure we can all agree on that."

"Oh yeah, totally hard Ren." Nora said with a suggestive wink.

"Nora!"

"Calm down you two." Pyrrha chuckled lightly, her tiredness reflecting in her speech and movement. She lagged behind the other three, attempting her best to keep up with them. Why was she so tired? She hadn't stressed herself training Jaune, she didn't work longer than normal in the arena, and she didn't stay up late studying. She didn't know, but Pyrrha wouldn't let it happen again.

The team decided to head down to the cafeteria and get lunch. They had all missed breakfast, so the team was famished (Jaune called a team emergency and somehow managed to get them into the front of the food line). Pyrrha noted it was Jaune's favorite food today, Dino shaped chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes. When they got to their table and sat down, Pyrrha nearly collapsed into her food. She could barely keep her head up as she ate.

"Is everything alright Pyrrha?" Nora asked from the other side of Ren. "You seem... odd."

"I'm just a little tired is all," Pyrrha yawned. "I'll get a shower after this and hopefully that'll wake me up enough to last the rest of the day." Nora nodded and they left it at that. The redhead in shining armor couldn't keep her head up anymore, and decided to get two birds with one stone by resting on Jaune's shoulder. He seemed startled at first, but didn't seem to object. She got comfortable on his shoulder and nearly drifted off right then. Pyrrha wasn't having a good morning, and she was ready for it to be over with already.

"Mail!" Ren suddenly shot up and ran off, presumably to get what he had blurted out. He must've been expecting something, maybe a book he ordered was shipped in, or maybe he was anticipating a letter from his family. Either way, Pyrrha didn't sped too much time thinking about it. She was much more focused on how amazingly warm and comfy her crush was. The hoodie helped, but Jaune was naturally easy to rest on. Pyrrha smiled slightly, her eyes shut as she imagined them at a nice, warm cottage sitting on the couch surrounded by their children. _Okay, Pyrrha. You're thinking a bit too far ahead, here. We should just stick to thinking about acquiring him for now._

Ren soon returned with a handful of mail in his arms. He sorted through them and gave everyone their mail. Jaune had the smallest pile, only two or three, Ren had the most by far, maybe ten or fifteen large, thick envelopes. Pyrrha guessed she was right about him ordering books. Nora had five or six, and Pyrrha had four.

The redhead sorted through the mail. She perked up when she saw two of them were from Signal and Atlas Academy, both schools she had tried getting into. Beacon was the only one who accepted her, until now, so she decided to go here. She looked down at the letters, both congratulating her on her allowance into the prestigious academies. Pyrrha had wanted more than anything in the world to go to Atlas, nearly jumping out of her chair with glee. She slowly lowered the letter and looked at her team. At Jaune, and Ren, and Nora. No matter how much she wanted to get into Atlas, she would never abandon her friends... her _family._

"What'cha got there Pyr?" Jaune asked leaning over to look at the two papers. Pyrrha smiled softly, crumpling up the papers and tossing them away. "Just junk mail." Sure, she may regret not going to the school she wanted, but she'd regret it even more if she left these outstanding people she'd come to love.

She saw that the next letter was actually junk mail, some fake fortune teller who claims to know everything about her future. Pyrrha was amused enough to read it, but concluded it was fake and tossed that away too. The last letter was from her home; more specifically, her mother. Pyrrha's eyes lit up, glad to see she finally got something from home. She tore open the envelope happily, reading the letter before covering her mouth with her hand in shock.

"What's wrong Pyrrha?" Jaune noticed her sudden change in mood and put a consoling hand around her. This got Nora and Ren's attention as well, leaning in to hear what she had to say. The redhead took a moment to speak, trying to find a way to phrase it.

"My... My family had to move out of the house I grew up in... I had so many memories there..." She said as she sobbed. Jaune understood what she was going through. If Jaune had to leave his family home, where he grew up in, he would be devastated too. He had so many fond memories of the house he grew up in. It was hard enough leaving for Beacon, he couldn't imagine having to come home to a completely different place. Jaune understood that today was already stressful enough for Pyrrha, so adding this onto the list must've made things even worse.

"I'm so sorry Pyrrha..." Jaune said, followed by Ren and Nora giving their condolences. Jaune decided she needed comforting and wrapped Pyrrha in a tight embrace. "I know today's been rough, I'm sorry. We'll go out and get you some ice cream to cheer you up, just the two of us." Pyrrha held onto Jaune for dear life, not letting him go. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked past Jaune's shoulder at Nora and Ren, giving them a quick wink with a small grin before burying her face into Jaune's hoodie again.

"What was that for?" Nora asked Ren as he picked up Pyrrha's note and read it to himself.

"This is why." Ren concluded, handing her the paper.

 _My dearest Pyrrha,_

 _Trust me, I know how you feel. You should've seen how idiotic your father was when we first met. It took me two years to get the smallest affection out of him, two years! I don't want you to go through the same torture I did. So, take my advice; Make up something emotional. It doesn't have to be real, just something that you can get visibly saddened about. Men don't know what to do in these kinds of situations (If this Jaune fellow is anything like your father,) and will attempt an awkward hug or consoling hand on the back. Maybe even both. Take it from me, you do this, and you'll have Jaune all over you whenever you can turn on the water works. Jaune seems like a sweet boy. I bet your father 20 lien that Jaune would ask you out to an ice cream date to make you feel better. I love you sweetie and we're all proud of you. We know you can do anything, and I know you can get this guy to fall for you, because anyone would be lucky to have you. Stay safe at Beacon._

 _Love, Mom_

"Pyrrha, you sly dog."Nora giggled as she tossed the paper into the trash, wondering if the same tactic would work on Ren.


	54. Drops of Syrup

Pyrrha wasn't sure what she expected from her mother last week. She originally thought the redhead's mother would give invaluable information, like 'just be yourself' or 'eat all of your vegetables' or something simple like that. What she hadn't expected was an actual attempt to help, and even more surprising, it worked. Jaune spent the entire day consoling Pyrrha, giving her hugs whenever tears threatened to fall, or when she acted especially quiet through the day. Pyrrha was more than happy to get more help from her mother from then on. She had gotten Pyrrha more physical contact with Jaune in one minute than the rest of her team did in the entire semester. Pyrrha always thought her mother was just some ordinary mom, but she was obviously on the same level as Ozpin, matchmaking students easier than anyone else.

"C'mon Ren," Nora pleaded with puppy eyes and her bottom lip quivering. "Our entire home city was just massacred and you won't even give me a consoling make out session?"

"I'm sorry, but it's obviously fake, you're trying the same tactic Pyrrha was using on Jaune. You need to say something believable." Ren gave a sigh as he turned the page of his book. "And ask for something smaller, like a hug or pat on the back."

"You're no fun, Ren." Nora commented.

"I try to be." He responded absentmindedly. "You don't see Pyrrha actively trying to make out with Jaune, learn from her." Pyrrha smiled softly to herself. _We got quite close once,_ Pyrrha mused in her mind. After Jaune had taken her on the ice cream date, they shared each others frozen desserts and even had a play fight, getting the treat on each others faces. Jaune had asked if she wanted him to get it off of Pyrrha's face, and she hastily agreed, thinking it was some analogy for a kiss. But no, he wiped her face with a napkin before proceeding to eat his. She expected more, but it was still closer than she's gotten before. She was looking forward to how the rest of her "saddened" week play out, wondering if Jaune would invite her to any more dates after that. She prayed that he would.

Pyrrha wondered if she should be more aggressive with her tactics to woo Jaune. Was she being too modest? Dropping too subtle of hints? She thought her hints were pretty easy to tell, but Jaune never picked up on them. Any of them, as a matter of fact. _Unless he's just playing dumb and he doesn't want to acknowledge my feelings for him because he doesn't return them and he hates me and I should just go jump off a cliff - There I go again, I need to calm down my emotions._ Pyrrha sighed and turned to start her homework for the night.

That's when Jaune burst through the door. "Pyrrha Nikos!" He called out, turning to face her as he stomped in her direction. Pyrrha, as well as the other two in the room, were visibly startled by the furious blond knight. What was he so upset about? Was he mad at Pyrrha? "How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me!" Pyrrha blushed a deep red, wondering how he found out. Had one of RWBY's members told him? Did he overhear their conversation earlier? She was terrified.

"J-Jaune, I, I meant to tell-"

"Save it," He snapped. "Why couldn't you tell me earlier? What was the problem?"

"I... I'm not sure Jaune. I'm sorry." Pyrrha swallowed her pride, knowing she couldn't deny it. Ren gave Pyrrha a startled look over Jaune's shoulder.

"Stand up, and give me the best kiss I've ever had in my life!" Jaune exclaimed, slamming his foot down.

"You've never had a kiss before, Jaune." Ren reminded him.

"Shut up!" Jaune retorted before facing Pyrrha again. She wasn't going to argue with that. Her consent was right in front of him, there was no reason to stagnate. Pyrrha hopped out of her seat happily and got as close as she could to the knight - _Her Knight_ \- and pulled him in.

Then Jaune stopped her with a laugh. "That was close, Pyrrha, good job!" He smiled and gave her a pat on the back. "Amazing acting!" Everyone in the room was confused, and everyone excluding Jaune saw the disappointment in Pyrrha's eyes.

"W-what?" She asked.

"Our improv studies? Did you forget the Prof. wanted us to see how good we were at it?" Jaune smiled brightly. "You nailed it, Pyrrha. You're so good at everything." Pyrrha's eye twitched, the last nerve in her body breaking down at Jaune's own, adorable stupidity. She couldn't handle this anymore. Pyrrha slapped Jaune across the face, leaving a hand print on his cheek. Or, at least she wish she did.

"Oh..." She said in place of the hand slap. "Well I'm glad, you are just as great." Pyrrha gritted her teeth as she talked, Nora and Ren sensing the levels of anger building up inside of the redhead.

"How could he be so idiotic? I mean, he took her out on a date last week! What could he possibly think she thought of him?" Nora exhaled after whispering her thoughts to her partner.

"Excuse me, but I need to go freshen up." Pyrrha made her way out of her room and into team RWBY's across the hall to vent, leaving the blond knight and his teammates in their own room.

"Can you believe how amazing she is?" Jaune asked with a happy sigh. "If only she really wanted to kiss me."

"Okay Jaune, I've had enough." Nora shot up. "Just ask Pyrrha out already! Everyone knows you have a huge crush on her!"

"No, I can't, she's Pyrrha Nikos! The best fighter of our generation! I would only slow her down." Jaune decided. "I would love more than anything in the world to be with her, but I want Pyrrha to reach her full potential. If we were to go out, she'd constantly be looking out for me. She might even get herself killed saving me."

"She does that anyway Jaune." Ren added.

"I don't want her worrying about me even more. I know it doesn't make sense to you, but it does to me. I'm not good enough for her, and that's that." Jaune collapsed on the bed with a sigh, turning his body away from the other two, who simply shook their heads at each other.

"What an idiot!" Ruby concluded. "He has to be the stupidest guy in the universe to not want to be with you. Even Weiss said in her diary she'd want to have-"

"Ruby! You've read my diary?!" Weiss scolded, crossing her arms.

"Anyway," The younger girl blushed turning to Pyrrha. "What if you just... casually did something to him? Something romantic, but in a platonic way, and then he'd get mixed emotions about you and then he'd ask you out and you'd live on a nice sandy beach with four kids." Ruby concluded.

"I always imagined us in an autumn forest in a log cabin with three-"

"That's enough about our fantasies ladies," Yang chimed in. "I agree with my little sis on this one. Do something out of place and see how he reacts." Pyrrha thought about the possible outcomes and decided there weren't any that were particularly bad. The worst he could do was deny her or ignore her. In that case she'd just move on as if nothing happened, and that'd be that. But it could also force her blond knight to realize how he feels about her. "I know exactly what you should do." Yang pulled Pyrrha into a small huddle in the corner of the room so none of the others could hear them. After a few nods of Pyrrha's head and a few doubting questions, she broke away from the huddle. "Trust me, I know everything about relationships. You can trust me that it'll work, Pyr." Yang gave a convincing smile to top it off.

"If you say so." Pyrrha seemed to blush a bit before saying her goodbyes to team RWBY and going back to her own room, deciding to go to bed early and sleep on the idea of Yang's.

When Pyrrha woke up the next morning, she got up, put her school outfit on for the day and took a stroll down to the cafeteria to get lunch early. To get her plan in motion she needed to arrive at the table before everyone else. She made sure to get plenty of syrup with her pancakes, blushing at the thought of her plan and the multiple outcomes that could happen. She just hoped no one would be watching when it started.

Eventually, one by one, the members of team JNPR joined Pyrrha at the table, in a line, with Pyrrha on the right, then Jaune, then Ren, then Nora, like always. Pyrrha decided to wait a bit to let team RWBY show up as well, Yang giving her a thumbs up for encouragement. Pyrrha nervously opened the packet of syrup and lifted it over her pancakes, but "accidentally"let it spill all over her shirt and cleavage.

"Oh, darn," Pyrrha said with a nervous chuckle. "Looks like I made a mess." She set down the packet on the edge of the table near Jaune, and watched as the boy gawked at her, trying his best to keep his eyes off her chest and failing miserably. She then found it odd that Ren was staring too. Did he have an attraction towards her? No, it must've just been normal men going wild at the sight of Pyrrha's sticky wet chest. Or maybe Ren just hated seeing syrup go to waste.

"Keep it going," Yang whispered her encouragement to Pyrrha with a smile, not letting the redhead know she was recording the whole ordeal. Pyrrha nodded her head and pretended to try and clean her mess up, sticking out her chest as she did so. The next part of the plan happened flawlessly; she knocked over the syrup onto Jaune's pants as she was cleaning herself, Yang nearly erupting in laughter that Pyrrha had believed her.

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry Jaune, I didn't mean that. Here, let me help you." Pyrrha blushed deeply and grabbed a wad of napkins and gently but firmly wiped off his crotch, Pyrrha blushing even more when she thought she had gotten syrup on his Scroll in his pocket... or was that his...?

"P-Pyrrha-!" Jaune tried interjecting but was cut off by Pyrrha nervously shushing him, continuing her work.

"This is what teammates do to help each other." She said, making sure to get a good feel of him, still trying to figure out what it was in his pants. Eventually, When it was mostly cleaned up, Jaune removed Pyrrha's hand.

"I... I think I can get it from here, Pyrrha." He shivered a bit before standing up and heading off towards the bathroom. Pyrrha waved and blushed, praying she could get her uniform washed soon. Yang seemed so confident it would get a positive reaction out of him. She guessed that in a way it did, albeit awkward.

"I can't believe you actually did it!" Yang said between laughs, stopping the recording on her phone and playing through it. "I can't believe you believed me!" Pyrrha took a moment to realize her deception.

"Wait, you mean this whole time you were just...?"

"Let me put it this way princess," Yang giggled. "If Jaune isn't in love with you now, he's a lost cause."


	55. Immortalizing Pyrrha

**I just watched Volume 4 Episode 1 and I am super depressed... So now you all need to feel just as sad as I am about it! Enjoy!**

Jaune stepped into town with a small grin on his face. It was a nice, quiet place surrounded by forest and plenty of hard working people. Jaune always admired those who lived in smaller settlements. He would probably never settle down in one, enjoying the luxuries and safety of cities (minus Beacon). He walked besides his trusted friends, the other members of Team RNJR... or Team JNRR, they were still deciding on it. He smiled as he looked forward, finally glad to feel a little better. He'd been down ever since the fall of Beacon, who wouldn't be? But Jaune had an even higher reason for being depressed. The girl he loved was gone. He hadn't said her name in months. No one did in fear of Jaune falling apart. He felt so delicate and hated it. He wanted to be someone his team could count on, not someone they were afraid to unravel.

"Here he is. They said he's the guy to go to for armor and weapons." Ruby said taking off her hood and revealing her features. The most prominent was her eyes, silver discs that signaled true warriors and fighters. Jaune had no doubt she was the stuff of legend. Of any of them, Ruby would be the one to get memorialized a hundred years after they were all dead. He would normally think that of his redhead love interest, but something... Happened, to her. And she wouldn't be back for a long time, he convinced himself.

Ruby was looking much more mature, and much taller. She almost looked like she was the same age as all of them, and not a year under them. Ruby still had the same haircut, and the same red and black tones for her outfit, although she updated it a bit. Everyone's outfit had changed, save for Jaune. They all looked good, especially Ruby. She was starting to mature into the woman she'd be remembered for. Jaune turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. He seemed to notice something he hadn't before. Something about her that was just...

"Well let's get in there and see to our reward." Ren said stepping forward. He had grown his hair out and gained a set of gloves in place of his usual long sleeve shirt. He carried a backpack with him, filled to the brim with all of the team's extra gear. Jaune didn't remember him volunteering to carry everything, and hoped he didn't mind too much about it. He didn't seem so. They stepped in through the doors of the blacksmith's shop and took a look around. Armor and weapons as well as the tools to make them lined the shop and filled the spaces on the walls.

"I bet Ruby would have a field day in here." Nora joked looking around. Nora had grown her hair out a bit, which got a little more curly than when it was shorter. She still had her cheery, happy grin like always. Jaune had only seen that grin taken away once, when... _Anyway,_ Jaune thought. She had gotten an outfit change, the heart in the center of her shirt had a small line through it, and the skirt she had was a little more detailed than before. She looked like an adorable toddler, not some warrior huntress that wielded a giant hammer and grenade launcher.

"Can I help you guys with anything?" The shopkeeper entered behind the counter, the most prominent feature about him being his horns. Jaune noticed there was a lot less discrimination between humans and Faunus in the smaller settlements. In fact, there almost didn't seem to be any. It was odd, seeing random whiskers or tails peeking out in crowds, rather than people like Blake who tried to hide it. He hadn't seen her - or the rest of team RWBY - in months, and he missed them dearly. Jaune just wished things could go back to the way before, just him, team JNPR, and team RWBY taking on the world together at Beacon Academy. Before everything fell apart. Before his life shattered like a piece of glass.

"Uh, yeah," Jaune stepped forward. "We heard you could give us a reward for taking care of your Grimm problem." The man behind the counter chuckled, a grin showing on his face.

"I've got the best rewards you can get in this town! You're the hunters that stepped up to take care of our problem, huh? What do you need for your work once it's finished? Repairs? New armor? Some cool designs? I do it all!" The man cheerily boasted. Team RNJR/JNRR eyed each other. Jaune gave them a nervous look.

"Are you guys sure I can just take the reward for myself? Don't you guys want something for your efforts?"

"Jaune, you getting new armor could help us all out. If you died, we'd be one person short of a full team, and we don't want that." Ruby exclaimed. "It's perfectly fine." Ruby gave a reassuring smile. She seemed to be trying to impress Jaune for the past few months. Ruby probably thought she had to try and fill in the place of Pyr- of his MIA teammate, and she was trying her hardest to meet those expectations in Jaune's eyes. She was trying to ease Jaune into it.

Jaune uneasily stepped up to the counter. "What about a new chest piece?" He asked timidly.

"Son, you're asking way too low. That thing out there has been bugging this village for a long time now, and I couldn't take advantage of you like that. What if I... spunk you up a bit? You look like you could use some new gauntlets and gloves if you ask me. How about I toss in that stuff too?" The man took a moment to think. "I could try giving you a new look for your armor too. It looks a bit worse for ware. I don't have many good materials to work with at the moment though."

Jaune thought for a moment. He had an idea in his head, but wasn't sure if it was good or not. On the plus side, he wouldn't carry the extra weight around with him, and he wouldn't have to worry about losing it. "I know what you could do; upgrade my weapon." Jaune stated quickly, the blacksmith raising an eyebrow.

"You got something on you I can use?"

"Yeah..." Jaune exhaled deeply, looking back at his team. They all give him reassuring smiles and nods of their heads, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Jaune reached behind him and took off the circlet hanging from his jeans, taking a moment to look at it. It gleamed gold with intricate loops, dazzling to look at and heavy in his hand. He swallowed, trying his best to come to terms with the valuable piece of metal. Jaune closed his eyes, a single teardrop falling from his eye onto the circlet. He made no noise or stupid crying face; just a single tear slipped out. Nothing more.

"What'cha got there?" The man asked looking over the counter at it.

"It's..." Jaune refrained from telling the crowns backstory. "It's what I want you to use to line my shield with. And, could I make one last... uh, request?"

"Of course! Anything to repay you, if you take out that monster." The blacksmith hastily replied.

"Could you use the design on the circlet on my shield? Down at the bottom to give it a bit more flare?" Jaune asked quietly, everyone in team RNJR/JNRR knowing the exact reason why he wanted that immortalized in his weapon of choice.

"Of course son, just give me the day to work it all out and you'll have it by the time you return from your mission." The man took the circlet from Jaune's hand and wielded it around carelessly, giving Jaune small heart attacks as he tossed it onto the table. He obviously didn't know the importance of the crown.

"C'mon Jaune, let's go hunt that monster down." Ruby encouraged, and the four of them went off to hunt the mighty beast that plagued the town.

After their tremendous journey fighting the wraith and killing it successfully, the team returned to the shop to get Jaune's armor. The blacksmith stepped out behind the counter once more and joined the team in his shop. "Can't have a huntsman without his weapon!" He chimed and stuck the blade into the counter to show off the blade's full beauty. Jaune turned and gawked at the sword, the gold lining fitting it perfectly. Jaune liked the design a lot, and felt quite happy to see his sword back... until he extended the shield.

There, at the bottom of his sword just like he asked, was the front of the circlet's design. It accented the shield beautifully, almost as beautiful as the girl who wore it. Before Jaune had gained possession of it. He winced a little, remembering the most important person to walk in - and out - of his life. Jaune visibly saddened, and his teammates noticed, but only for a second. Then Jaune perked up a bit.

"It's a fine metal you brought me. Accents the white nicely." The blacksmith boasted his skills, seeing the shocked looks of his customers faces. "Where'd you get it from?" No one dared to answer. Ruby, Ren and Nora knew to never bring up his romantic interest unless Jaune did first. And he never did. The room stayed quiet as they all knew Jaune was remembering all of the good times he had with her.

Jaune looked down, not able to see the circlet embedded in his shield any longer for that moment. His team stepped up behind him though with smiles on their faces, knowing that their long lost friend finally was immortalized with the blond knight, who was truly becoming his title. Jaune himself smiled a bit, knowing Pyr- the girl he loved, wouldn't want him to be sad during such a happy moment. Jaune raised his eyes to look at the design again, tears threatening to fall.

"From a friend." Jaune said, knowing she was way more than just that to him.

 _From Pyrrha._


	56. First

**I realized I don't really have much real Arkos going on in this story, so expect a lot more chapters of them actually together from now on! And, as promised, more chapters after Volume 4 came out!**

Pyrrha strode down the hallway with glee, eager to meet up with her favorite person at Beacon. She could never contain her smile whenever she thought about her knight, and now, she didn't need to contain her smile any longer. They had gotten together just a few weeks back, Jaune and Pyrrha becoming noticeably brighter ever since. They didn't need to shroud their feelings from one another anymore. Pyrrha was especially happy this morning though, since it was the first day she was worry-free of tests or classes getting in the way of her time with her new boyfriend. She had no due assignments, and no tests to study for. She planned to do what Jaune did best; lazily hang around the room for the next two days. They'd eat pizza, stay up late, and sleep in with each other. Pyrrha, under normal circumstances, would find this to be a waste of time. These were not normal circumstances though, it was with Mr. Arc.

She never thought she'd say it, but she couldn't wait to be lazy for the rest of the weekend, rather than be a productive student. Who could top that when it meant spending every second together? Pyrrha never thought of herself as the clingy type, but she had become much closer to Jaune than before. She only prayed Jaune didn't mind.

Pyrrha stepped into her dorm room with a smile on her face. "Hello teammates-?" She stuttered and trailed off of her words when she realized the room was empty. The beds were made, and untouched, meaning no one had even gotten back from their classes yet to drop their stuff off and leave. Pyrrha was the first one home, so she decided to start preparing for her wonderful weekend with Jaune.

They had planned all last week for this, Jaune and Pyrrha going over every little detail of what they wanted to do together. Nothing super fancy or romantic (Since the last time they tried that was Nick's, and it left them charred and kicked out of the restaurant for life), just some nice alone time with each other. They had picked this weekend since Nora and Ren would be off in Vale almost the entire time, as they had planned an entire two day shopping trip for the new semester to get ready. Sure, it was Pyrrha's idea for them to get supplies, but they reluctantly accepted it. They'd only return late at night to sleep, and Pyrrha's only worry is that her and Jaune would keep them up all night.

Pyrrha had a grin on her face the entire time she made the preparations. She needed to unwind and get out of her normal mindset. She was ready for the weekend of her life. She had ditched her armor plates for her PJ's, simple loose red bottoms and an orange tank top. She let her hair down and made sure she looked alright for her date/hangout. She had gotten popcorn ready, all of their favorite movies in order (making sure to pick a lot of scary ones, so Pyrrha would have an excuse to cling to Jaune,) and a lot of carbonated drinks to make sure neither of them would fall asleep until at least 3 AM at the earliest.

It felt good to unwind. She was finally free of her strict posture and heavy battle gear. Pyrrha knew Jaune couldn't afford anything fancy for them, he could barely pay for a ticket to and from Vale. He always felt inferior whenever Pyrrha offered to pay, and she wanted him to feel as comfortable as possible. Sure, she payed for all of it out of her own pocket, but she could convince him everyone pitched in somehow.

Pyrrha's butt buzzed and she pulled out her scroll, seeing Jaune's contact showing up. She happily answered the call. "Jaune?" She asked.

"Hey, Pyr!" He sounded happier than he had ever been. "You ready for this weekend?"

"Of course! I'm making the arrangements now. Where are you?" Pyrrha asked looking out of the window to try and see if Jaune was approaching.

"I just got out of class, Port held us up another ten minutes to finish his boasting." Jaune audibly groaned. "I'll be there in five minutes."

"I can't wait." She smiled, internally screaming as she hung up the call. She felt like a normal teenager finally, and she was glad she could be like this with Jaune. When they had gotten together, Pyrrha gossiped to Nora about it as if they were high school preps, with hand gestures and giggles in the mix. She felt no different now.

The second she finished pouring pretzels into a large bowl, there was a knock on the door. Pyrrha whipped out her scroll and turned on a soft romantic song, ready to give her boyfriend their first kiss before they spent the weekend together. She had been timid when it came to kissing Jaune, unsure when was too early or too late. She decided two weeks was long enough. She needed to feel his lips against hers, she had spent too long dreaming about them. She skipped (Yes, skipped, she was that happy,) to the door, letting it swing open and quickly leaning on the door frame.

Pyrrha poured as much love into her voice as possible. "Hello Jaune, I've been expecting y-" She stopped, realizing she was speaking to Yang and Ruby. She blushed deeply and shrank from the door frame. "O-oh, hello. I was expecting-"

"Jauney-boy?" Yang laughed. "I'm sure you were, spending the whole weekend together alone sounds heavenly." Pyrrha never thought about that. Was Jaune expecting them to do something? Was she going to lose more than the virginity of her lips this weekend? She mentally freaked out for a moment before realizing how preposterous she sounded.

"We're just going to be watching movies and spending time together, completely PG-13, I assure you." Pyrrha said coolly, knowing she wouldn't let it go further than kissing. "It's not like we haven't been alone in our dorm together before."

"I dunno Nikos," Yang had a hint of doubt in her voice. "You two have been frustrated for the past few months, wouldn't it be nice to get it all out of your system - or, get Jaune _in_ your system, rather?" She grinned evilly at the blushing Pyrrha in front of her, who turned away.

"I promise nothing _sexual_ will come of this encounter." She wasn't ready at all for that, but she knew she wanted that boy's lips, badly. She started to feel a bit savage at the thought of whisking Jaune away, enticing a long romantic kiss. She was ready, though. She was going to full on make out with him the next time she saw him.

"Trust me, I know what you can think up Pyr, I may have... stumbled upon your diary." Pyrrha felt a hint of anger burn inside of her.

"You read my personal agenda?" She asked, then realized all the things she could've seen, from her emotions and poems she made of Jaune, to the more... graphic thoughts she had of him. Maybe she even stumbled upon one of her illustrations of him. She only blushed deeper.

"Relax, I only read page 45." Yang brushed it off, but Pyrrha knew the 40's were her darkest entries.

"Anyway," Ruby drew out to try and come between the awkward exchange. "We just wanted to know if we could borrow Ren for a moment to help us bake cookies." Ruby seemed to go to cloud 9 thinking of Ren's heavenly baking skills. Pyrrha laughed a little to herself.

"He left for Vale with Nora already. Sorry, Ruby." Pyrrha apologized, even if it wasn't her fault. Ruby pouted and looked down.

"It's fine, I wasn't expecting any heavenly mouth watering delight from the heavens anyway." She mumbled quickly, almost inaudible as she and Yang went back to their dorm. Yang had given Pyrrha a wink and tossed something at her before closing the door. Pyrrha looked down at her feet, and between them laid a small blue square. She reached down and picked it up, reading the label.

"What could she have wanted me to-!" She gasped and let out a small squeak as she dropped the condom to the floor, blushing once more. She quickly hid it in her closet in case she ever did need it later down the line and awaited for her knight.

She sat on Jaune's bed, reading through one of his comics when the door opened. She didn't say anything in case it was Ruby or Yang again, but she felt relief when she saw her boyfriend finally arrive. He had a smile plastered on his face, visibly happy to see her, although he tried his best to suppress it and not seem too overly-excited. Pyrrha saw right through it though and stood up, letting the magazine sit on his bed.

"Jaune!" She exclaimed happily, giving him a tender hug. Her arms overlapped around his neck as she embraced him, glad to have him back. Once again, she wasn't sure if Jaune liked her being extra clingy, but her worries went away as he chuckled and returned the hug.

"Hey Pyrrha." He rested his head on hers, glad to finally spend a lazy weekend with his girlfriend after a long week. Jaune pulled away only slightly to allow Pyrrha to look up at him. They kept their arms wrapped around each other, exchanging awkward laughs to fill the quietness. "Hey, uh, I have something I need to tell you." Jaune said, and for a moment Pyrrha thought he was ending it with her already. She frowned for a moment before returning to her cheery state.

"Yes?" She asked, trying her best to give a cute smile. She felt like she was failing terribly, but it was the thought that counts. She then remembered what she promised to do to him. She was going to pull that man down into the best kiss he'd ever have before he tried to say anything to her.

"I think it's time we kiss-" He was cut off when Pyrrha pulled him into a blazing lip lock. She didn't even comprehend what he had said as they pressed their lips together. Pyrrha blushed a little, unsure if she was even doing it right. They pulled away from each other almost instantly, unlike Pyrrha had planned. They both were redder than Pyrrha's hair as they turned away from each other, grinning like idiots.

"So you wanted it too, huh?" Jaune smiled softly.

"I did, I've been planning it for the past few days, I just wasn't sure how to bring it up." Pyrrha gave a bright smile. Pyrrha's lips were no longer virgin. Was she going to become a kissing prostitute now? Would her lips get arrested if she kissed too many times? She had no clue how relationships worked and didn't pretend she knew.

"Well, you haven't been planning it as long as I have been," Jaune boasted, unknowingly pulling her closer. Pyrrha wasn't sure if he noticed, or if he was doing it instinctively, but she was happy to be closer to the person she shared her first kiss with.

"I do believe I would've been planning longer. Ever since last month." She smiled softly, knowing Jaune's competitive side was about to come out.

"I've been planning on it for a year!" Jaune knew they hadn't even known each other for a year yet, but he couldn't back down now. To this, Pyrrha only laughed.

"Just kiss me, Vomit Boy." She realized her bad choice to use his nickname then, but didn't care. Jaune pulled his girlfriend into another lip lock, and Pyrrha was glad to say it was much closer to how she imagined it. They both smiled into the kiss as it dragged on, until they needed to pull away for air.

"Well," Jaune said breathlessly with a small chuckle. "That was the single greatest moment of my life." He exclaimed.

"So far," Pyrrha added, knowing if they stayed together, he'd be way happier after they reenacted page 45 of her diary, which she had finally remembered. "C'mon, I got everything ready for the perfect weekend together, starting with popcorn and a movie." _Simplicity at it's finest,_ she thought.


	57. Pyrrha's Note

Pyrrha's grin stretched from ear to ear as she stared up at the approaching boy - no, man - with his shirt open, revealing his six pack abs and his luscious blond hair. His armor plates made him look ever stronger and his features more defined. The sun shined behind him casting rays across him, almost like a scene from a cheesy love movie. Jaune stopped just inches from her, his breath tingling her skin.

"Come with me Pyrrha, and we'll ride away together." Jaune said melodically, his voice deep and his grip around her waist as strong as ever. Pyrrha swooned in his arms and he started walking with her towards the sunset. Pyrrha didn't even notice she had gotten onto a horse at some point and Jaune had lost his shirt. Pyrrha was loving this, whatever it was. Jaune rode with Pyrrha sitting behind him, admiring his chiseled body silently. She gawked at his amazing biceps and triceps, watching them hold on to the horse's mane, every tendon and muscle fiber at work.

"How can I repay you for taking me away from my awful life?" Pyrrha asked over dramatically, swooning a bit at just the thought of Jaune doing as he pleased with her.

"Make sweet sweet love with me on this moving horse, people will tell stories of us riding our love around for an eternity." Jaune somehow magically turned to face her, and just as he leaned in to kiss her, Pyrrha woke up.

She groaned quietly, taking a moment to try and think of the ending of her dream before opening her eyes. She stared up at the blank ceiling, thinking of the details in her dream. Jaune seemed so romantic, he was just... perfect for her. They were more than made for each other; he completed her. She was definitely going to write that dream down in her diary with a more suggestive ending. Pyrrha reached under her mattress and pulled out the leather book, flipping to the next open page, 63. She quickly scribbled down the chapter before shutting it and stuffing the journal back under her mattress, ready to reread it when the others were asleep tonight.

But right now, Ren was currently awake writing away at his desk. Homework, Pyrrha assumed. Nora and Jaune were still asleep, and they would remain like that for a while since it was the start to the weekend. Jaune snored quietly, causing Pyrrha to giggle lightly to herself. She noted that whenever Jaune had a particularly hard or unforgiving day, he'd end up snoring. She wasn't sure if it was because he slept in an odd position or what, but she found it cute, and credited herself with working Jaune to his limit during training.

"Why don't you just tell him?" Ren piped up, not taking his eyes off of his work. "You know he'll find out eventually, so it might as well be from you." Ren sighed. "There's no point in making the boy wait, just ask him Pyrrha. I'm telling you this as a friend. He does like you back, no matter how much you think he doesn't."

"It's not that simple." Pyrrha said. "I want Jaune to get the courage to talk to me. It'll boost his self esteem if he can actually get the girl for once when he tries wooing her, unlike his past attempts." Pyrrha loved watching Jaune's face light up when he accomplished something. He would seem to get power and energy from nowhere when he realized just how amazing he can be. Pyrrha knew something was holding Jaune back but wasn't sure what. Some days Pyrrha wondered if he was the best fighter to ever live, but was too insecure to reach his full potential.

"I don't want to have to see you write in your little diary thing every time you have a romantic thought about him. If you get with him than you can do that stuff with him instead of imagining it." Pyrrha stared at Ren, not sure how he knew about her special diary. "It's obvious, you know. Every other morning you wake up and get all giggly and blush, then you pull out that little book, jot down whatever you were dreaming - Which I have no doubt is about Jaune - and then get ready for the day. It isn't rocket science."

Ren was good at picking up clues. But somehow he still didn't understand why Pyrrha has always tried getting him to ask her out. It's not that she hates his shyness, she finds it cute. Pyrrha only wanted Jaune to get better at believing in himself, something he has more trouble than most doing. Pyrrha pondered the idea of finding more elaborate ways to get Jaune's attention - like in page 45 of her diary, possibly her most graphic page she'd ever written - but decided against maiming him... for now. She'd save that for when she had no other options.

Jaune slowly sat up in his bed just as Pyrrha returned from the bathroom to get dressed for the day. She was in her combat outfit and was ready to go down to the arena and enjoy sparring with the dummies. "Good morning sleepy head." Pyrrha chimed to her romantic interest. Pyrrha could feel Ren's glare on her back, but stuck to her beliefs.

"Morning Pyr..." Jaune yawned out with a stretch of his arms. He tossed away the blanket and stood up to get his outfit on. Jaune had ditched his old one piece sleeping attire, deciding it'd be better to just sleep in a plain shirt and his boxers. Pyrrha blushed a little when she noticed he must've been dreaming about some girl, making sure to keep her eyes away from his underwear. Jaune got dressed into his hoodie and armor plates, the usual outfit of the blond knight.

"Would you like to partake in sparring with me this morning Jaune?" Pyrrha asked sweetly. She noticed her pitch got slightly higher whenever she talked to Jaune. Did he really have that kind of affect on her? She always had a spring in her step around Jaune, but managed to keep it unnoticeable from her friends. Internally, the teenage side of Pyrrha would cry out in delight whenever Jaune accidentally brushed past her or their hands touched, even if only for a moment. Pyrrha clung onto a positive future for them.

"Sure, getting some practice in would be nice." Jaune said and turned to face Pyrrha. "Ready to head out?" He asked her. Jaune looked directly into her eyes, and Pyrrha couldn't contain a smile.

"Of course." She replied simply and the two left team JNPR's room. They walked down the hallway, discussing a recent test in Professor Oobleck's class. Pyrrha absentmindedly talked though. She was too focused on every syllable that left Jaune's lips. She wondered if he did the same fluctuations of his voice as she did. Pyrrha focused hard on his voice, but it was nearly impossible to tell, his voice was already so high pitched.

After failing in her objective, she decided to forget about it for now. They entered the arena and took a few moments to get ready before jumping right into the training. Jaune was getting noticeably better, but still had a long way to go. Pyrrha would even go as far as to say he was better than some of the kids at Beacon. After all, he was being taught by the top of their class. Pyrrha liked being modest, but she caught Jaune a long way, she deserved to gloat in her head if she wanted to.

Pyrrha was still holding back though. She couldn't use her full array of knowledge when battling him, she could break him easily, and she didn't want that. So she settled for holding back just enough to give Jaune a challenge, but give him opportunities to feel good about himself too. Every now and then he did something Pyrrha didn't expect and boosted his self esteem, which also made her happier as well. Seeing a bright, genuine smile on her crush's face always made her day.

Today wasn't one of those days, though. Jaune decided to practice with the training dummies, but didn't get more than ten hits on them. He had tripped and fallen onto his head, which stopped his practicing shortly after it began. He wasn't seriously injured or anything, but he still felt light headed and decided more fighting would only worsen his trauma. "It's not so bad," Pyrrha told her leader as she set him down on the sidelines of the arena. "Before you fell, you were fighting wonderfully. I can tell your swordplay is improving." Pyrrha tried cheering him up, but her hope was cut short.

"Loser!" Someone called out from the stands.

"You don't belong in this school!" Another yelled. Pyrrha winced after this, knowing it was true. Jaune had gotten fake transcripts to get into the school, and it was something he was very self conscious about. He tried his absolute best to not only fit in, but prove himself to those around him, so when they ridiculed him, he felt even worse. Pyrrha frowned when her thoughts were brought to life on his face.

"Don't worry about them, Jaune." Pyrrha encouraged. "They don't know you, I'm sure they've had just as many mishaps as you, if not more."

"No, they're right. I'm just some nobody who's trying to fit in with the talented people. I don't belong in here." Jaune looked down at the floor, still holding his head. Pyrrha tried thinking of some way to cheer her leader up. She thought of everything, from baking him cookies to reenacting page 45 of her diary. Once again, she decided against her last thought, it was a bit graphic for friends.

"Well come on then. Let's get on to the fighting." Pyrrha smiled softly, standing up and offering a hand to the blond knight. He looked up at her, obviously not expecting this. She'd usually try cheering him up way longer than just two sentences. He felt a little hurt by it, but decided there was only one way to change their minds. He took Pyrrha's hand and they headed out to the arena once more, followed by boos from the crowd. Pyrrha knew if she could get him through the first few seconds of the battle, it'd pay off.

"Here goes nothing." Jaune said before charging Pyrrha. She mirrored his thoughts and sprinted towards her love interest, their blades colliding seconds later. They began to fight intensely in a shower of sparks and clanks, every now and then taking a few seconds to plan their next attack before going back at it. The boos had died down, but there was still disapproving murmur in the crowd. That's when Pyrrha's plan went into action.

Pyrrha guided Jaune's shield up when he tried to bash her, correcting his trajectory. So, instead of missing like he would have, he thrust forward and up, allowing him to give Pyrrha a devastating uppercut. Did she technically just hurt herself? Yes, but she also helped her friend out. She flipped back and onto the ground, her sword and shield clattering to the ground. The crowd went silent for a moment.

"Did he just beat Pyrrha Nikos?" Someone asked from the crowd. Jaune stood over her, shocked that he had completely totaled his friend.

"Are you okay Pyrrha?" Jaune lowered himself, shaking Pyrrha's shoulder. She stirred and slowly rose to her knees. She pulled away with a wince, her chin having a visible bruise and a small cut. It hurt worse than most hits she had taken before, a few tears escaping her eyes, but she knew it was a good cause.

She smiled up at her leader. He was absolutely perfect. He was also surprising strong. He was gorgeous, humble, and simply cute. Pyrrha couldn't ask for a better leader, and, if things went right in her life, boyfriend. "Do you believe in destiny?" She asked, Jaune giving an odd look.

"You're not dying, are you?" He asked. "I didn't think I hit you that hard." He said, visibly trying to hide his smile. Although he hated hurting his friend, Pyrrha knew he was proud of himself.

"I'm fine Jaune." She said, taking Jaune's hand who helped her up. "Look at that, you got the respect of the crowd back. You won, Jaune. You beat me." She smiled brightly up at him, using her injury as an excuse to hold onto Jaune's arm.

Not two seconds after she said that, the crowd began laughing. "Pyrrha Nikos just got destroyed by that loser!" Someone called out. Pyrrha and Jaune both winced. Now they were both being ridiculed. Pyrrha didn't mind it too much, but she knew Jaune would take it harshly.

"Don't listen to them." Pyrrha told him. "We can head back to the room if you'd like. We don't need to stand for this."

Jaune obviously didn't care at this point. "Sure, whatever." He let out a sigh and helped Pyrrha back to the room. They were silent on the way back. When they finally got up to JNPR's room, Nora and Ren were gone. It was just them two, and Pyrrha thought now would be a good time to win some girlfriend points before she even became his.

Her plans were cut short though, when Jaune collapsed onto his bed and began snoring instantly. She frowned, noticing how bad he must feel. She never understood why words hurt him so much, but she wasn't going to berate her leader. Everyone had their weaknesses. She wanted to convince Jaune he was a good fighter, but he obviously didn't want to talk. He had made sure Pyrrha was okay (using his semblance to help her heal on the way back), and ultimately gave up for the rest of the day.

"I wish you'd just see me..." Pyrrha whispered to herself, just in case he wasn't truly asleep yet. She didn't want him to wake up and feel worthless, like he usually did. She decided to set in motion a third plan, hoping this one wouldn't fail. She went to her desk and pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled down one, simple sentence. She laid it on his bedside table before leaving the room to get lunch. Pyrrha wasn't sure if it'd even help, but decided it was better than nothing.

"We'll set up here for the day," Ruby decided as she set down her stuff. "Looks as good as any other place." She began to set up for the night, while Ren and Nora started collecting rocks and sticks for a fire. Jaune began laying out everyone's cots and helped Ruby set the tarp over their supplies.

Nora came up behind Jaune, putting a hand on his back. "Don't worry Jaune, you'll have your sword with you next time, you'll be able to help out then." She tried encouraging him before Ren called her back to help. Jaune sighed and looked down at his feet.

"Thanks..." He said quietly as she left his side. Jaune hadn't felt happy or sad for the past month. He didn't even feel any real feeling. He was just... empty. That was the closest description he could get. He sat down by his gear, and fished through his backpack for a bit before finally finding it. He unfolded the carefully protected piece of paper, rereading the line over and over in his head. He smiled a bit through his quiet tears.

 _I will always be proud of you, Jaune. - Pyrrha_

Jaune didn't read her name, though. He hadn't been able to look - or think - of it ever since her passing. He only read the note for the thought of her talking to him again. Knowing she was proud of him always made Jaune feel better. Pyrrha obviously didn't mean for him to keep the paper, since it was hastily written and the paper was torn. She probably just wanted to use it to cheer him up once. But Jaune kept it anyway, wondering if it would ever come in handy. Ever since she had passed, Jaune reread the line in his head whenever he felt down.

"What'cha got there Jaune?" Ruby asked as she looked up from the novel in her hands. She couldn't read the words on the paper, and wondered if Jaune kept a diary of some sort.

"Just something to get me through the day." Jaune said as he carefully folded the paper and put it back into his pack. Jaune smiled a bit to himself at the thought of his love interest, remembering the day she had given the note to him.

 _Do you believe in destiny?_

 **Hope you all enjoyed the sadness once more! Maybe some day Jaune and Pyrrha will actually get to reenact page 45 of her journal, who knows? I do, but you'll just have to wait! Thanks for reading!**


	58. Reasons to Live

**Hope you all like this chapter, and I know for a fact that you'll like the next few, since it'll involve a lot more of the best wingwoman to ever live; Pyrrha's mother!**

"As I was saying, I'm sure he'd appreciate the same show he gave you when Jaune had his little problem in his pants when he woke up." Nora giggled a bit at the thought. "He was probably thinking about you anyway." Nora held open the door to JNPR's room when they reached it, returning from lunch on a breezy Sunday evening. Pyrrha was blushing the whole way whenever Nora brought up having any less than her full outfit on in front of her crush, but Nora insisted it was the best way to grab his attention.

"I don't think I'd be able to live through that." Pyrrha said, unsure how she felt undressing in front of her leader. Sure, he'd definitely realize his feelings then, but she didn't want sex appeal to be a huge factor in his decision.

"Oh, come on Pyr! I can see it now; you, standing all alone in the middle of the candle-lit room, with your corset open up just enough to not see anything but cleavage, with your sash... and only your sash around your waist. He'll go nuts over you! Literally!"

"Nora," Pyrrha hushed her teammate as she blushed, facing away. "You really won't let this go will you?"

"Nope!" Nora said proudly. "Either you do it yourself or I'll strip you in your sleep!"

"T-there's no need for that. I can do it myself, but I'll save that idea for when I get really desperate, okay?"

"Fine, but if I start to think you won't ever do it, I'm going to commandeer your love boat!" Nora exclaimed with a cheery but threatening voice, which scared Pyrrha. Whenever Nora got a plan to get Jaune and Pyrrha together, they always ended terribly. Sure, she had the right idea in her head, but how she thinks of achieving the goal is just too... Vulgar for Pyrrha.

"Understood." Pyrrha chimed as she pulled her scroll out of one of her many hidden pockets. She examined it for any messages, and when she saw none, was about to put it away before Nora piped up.

"Don't forget, Port put all of our grades on our scroll accounts, even the one we took two days ago, check it out! I've gotta run, I'm meeting Ruby in Ozpin's room to figure out the next step in our plan."

"Your plan?" Pyrrha asked, raising an eyebrow and looking up from her scroll.

"Yeah, him and I are going to make you and Jaune the best couple in the school! You should see his jersey he made, it's got 'Arkos' on the back with the number 45 on it, which I told him was the juiciest page in your diary!"

"How many people have read my diary?!" Pyrrha asked, about to erupt in flames. "And why does everyone read the worst page?"

"Pyrrha, come on, a girl who has to go through as many sexually frustrating moments with Jaune as you do _has_ to have a diary. I just looked around a bit." Before Pyrrha could interrogate her teammate any further, Nora zipped out of the room. "Later!" She called out, already down the hall. Pyrrha let out a sigh and decided no one was going to read her diary again. She took it out from under her bed and tried thinking of the best place to store it. After a few moments of careful thinking, she stuffed it under Jaune's bed, which was only a few inches from hers. She could easily grab it without disturbing Jaune's rest, and Nora wouldn't know where it'd be for a few days. That's as good as she was going to get.

"I need a break..." Pyrrha decided and sat down on her bed. She began stripping from her armor and replaced it with her tank top and sweatpants, knowing she'd never leave the room for the rest of the day. School was working her a lot harder now that finals were coming up, and she needed every ounce of rest that she could get.

That's when Pyrrha remembered what Nora said. She pulled out her scroll, unlocked it, and went to her grade book. Scrolling through the first few pages until she found Professor Port's class, Pyrrha clicked on 'assignments' and checked out her test score. That's when Pyrrha's heart sank. The wonderful Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral Champion, Huntress Extraordinaire, failed her recent test. The one thing she was good for and she even managed to screw that up. Unlike Jaune though, she wasn't going to let one bad grade tear up her weekend. She had a pretty good one so far, although she had done a lot of training the day before.

"Oh well... I'll just try harder next time." Pyrrha decided and left it at that, tossing her Scroll onto her bedside table and curling up in her blanket. Everyone expected Pyrrha to be the person who could always ace a test or win in a fight, but there was one thing that Pyrrha failed at worse than the rest; tests. Pyrrha couldn't figure out why, but she always got lower scores on tests than a graded fight or verbal speech. She had been notoriously bad at taking tests in the past and Pyrrha had hoped she'd get better in the future, but so far, it seemed like it wasn't changing. It wasn't even that she didn't know the answers; they just always seemed to be ten times more difficult on paper.

Pyrrha closed her eyes, ready to have heavenly dreams of her love interest like most nights. Before Pyrrha had met Jaune, she would dream of school, family, or fighting, but ever since the redhead met her leader, he was all she dreamed of. From the nice things he did all the time to the... vulgar, not so nice things he did only in her imagination.

Pyrrha was feeling a little down today though. She wasn't sure why, nothing bad really happened (And she only found out about her failure a few minutes ago), she was just off this morning. She ran through her head a bunch of impossible scenarios from 'What if the White Fang attacked the school?' to "What if Jaune was really a girl in disguise this whole time?' But the one scenario that played out in her head over and over again as she tried falling asleep was death.

Suicide, to be exact. No, Pyrrha wasn't feeling that depressed, she probably never would. But she mused at the idea of how everyone would react to the news of her death. Each face she imagined was a good friend or family member of hers. Jaune showed up first, though. She wondered if he would confess his love to her at the funeral, or if he'd think it was his fault. Her family would be more than distraught, their beloved huntress and one of the most recent additions to their family, their prized possession taken by her own blade. How would Ozpin react? How would the school react? Would they think of her as some brave hero, coping with some invisible illness, or as a coward who couldn't handle life?

Pyrrha thought of how easy it'd be to just... slip away. Let all of the bad leave her mind as she slowly faded from existence. Would she feel a lot of pain no matter how she died? She always wondered that, if you could still feel after death. Pyrrha wasn't sure why she kept thinking such negative thoughts all of the sudden, but decided to keep it rolling. She thought of every single person she's come to know, both friends and enemies, and how they'd act from then on. Most would just forget about her after a few months and live their lives normally. She just wanted to feel seen by those she loved, not those who put her on a pedestal. Pyrrha wondered how easy it would be to just...

Her scroll buzzed, and Pyrrha let out a groan. She sat up and took her scroll off of the table and saw the text was from Jaune. She perked up instantly and opened up the message, reading it carefully.

 _Hey Pyr! Was wondering if you want to get lunch at Vale today, just got my allowance from my parents in the mail, how about a friendly date? :) It'll be super awesome this time, I promise no explosions or chefs yelling at us! -Jaune_

Pyrrha giggled in delight at the thought of a date with Jaune. Sure, he added in the word friend. But Pyrrha could forget about it and be happy once more in her life. She was about to reply instantly, but decided to wait so it didn't seem like she was desperate or anything. _Being desperate is bad right?_ Pyrrha wondered in her head. Pyrrha excitedly typed out her message after a few moments of waiting. Pyrrha had just gotten back from lunch with Nora, but decided she could put away some more food if it meant some alone time in the city with Jaune.

She tossed the scroll onto her bed and got changed out of her sleeping attire and into her blouse and white chinos, just like the time they went to Nick's together. Pyrrha knew it wouldn't be too long before she wanted to give up on the world again, but right now, she had a true, great reason to live, and it had just asked her out on a date.

 _That sounds grand Jaune (-: I will meet you at the docks soon, don't be late again! -Pyrrha_


	59. Everything Catches on Fire

"Remember Jaune, feet apart, shoulders straight, sword and shield leveled." Pyrrha's melodic tone rang out over the rooftop. Jaune did exactly as commanded, striking the correct pose for their spar that was about to commence. "Let's get started." She spoke, and Jaune's eyes trailed her body for the moment. This was his favorite part of sparring - Pyrrha's movements. It was amazing to watch her transform from an orderly, noble looking woman to a fierce, strong combatant who knew everything there was to know about fighting, almost like clockwork.

Jaune readied his stance, and reminded himself that he couldn't admire her anymore, since the warrior was currently charging towards him. Jaune needed to do this every time they went at it; he would have to mentally remind himself that the match had begun and he actually needed to do something other than stare her down.

In seconds, their blades met each others and sparks flew as they danced around their weapons, perfectly deflecting each blow that came to him. Sure, he knew deep down inside that Pyrrha was going easy on him (and he guessed that she wasn't even working half as hard as she would with any other hunter or huntress). Jaune hated that feeling, that people needed to go easy on him just to make it seem fair, but he knew that he needed to face the smaller, less meaningful trials to go on to the tougher, much more realistic fighting, and he was prepared to climb that ladder to the top - as long as it meant being with Pyrrha the whole way up.

After their training was over for the night, they both made their way down to their dorm together, talking about anything, from professors to canned food to weekend plans. Jaune wasn't sure what she thought of him, but he knew he wouldn't mind being around her for the rest of his life. The door swung open to their room, with Nora standing in it, blocking the couple from entering.

"Oh, hey guys!" She said drawing out her words.

"What happened this time, Nora?" Jaune asked with a sigh of exasperation. Nora was famous for destroying their perfectly clean room, and at this point, they didn't find it surprising anymore to find the place in complete disarray. Ren could only keep her calm for so long on his own.

"Nothing, nothing at all! Why would you think that?" She asked incredulously, leaning against the door frame to block the view of the room.

"Oh for Grimm's sake Nora, just let them in to help!" Ren's voice called out, with a scream following soon after. The back of Nora's head lit up as something made a bright light from one of the curtains hanging over a window. "I think I made it worse!"

"Let us in, please." Pyrrha said, her voice charming over Nora to move out of the way slowly, wincing in case either of them yelled at her. Currently, the curtain was ablaze, with Ren next to it trying to fan the flame with a blanket, which obviously, wasn't working too well.

"Go get some water from the bathroom!" Pyrrha instructed, and before she could finish her sentence, I was already out the door and running down the hallway. I burst through the door and turned on the faucet. Only then did he realize he had nothing to carry the water in, and mentally slapped himself.

"Don't worry, Pyrrha figured you'd forget this," Ren came into the bathroom breathing heavily, holding out a metal pot that Ren used for cooking on occasion. Jaune mentally slapped himself before taking the bucket and filling it to the brim with water. He hoisted it out of the sink and attempted to carry it, but the pot was too heavy for him alone.

"A little help here?" He asked Ren, who joined him in carrying the pot back down to their room. The fire had spread even more than when they had left, currently devouring the entire curtain and a little bit of the one next to it. Ren and Jaune both thrust the pot forward and let the water douse the flame. The room was silent for a few moments before Nora spoke up.

"Good teamwork, guys!" She spoke optimistically, which was only responded with a glare from Ren.

Later that night, when the other two were asleep, Jaune approached Nora who sat on her bed with headphones on reading a magazine. When she noticed him approaching, she took them off and smiled up at him. "My hero!" She swooned jokingly with a giggle.

"Ha-ha, very funny." He said sarcastically. "Nora, I need your help."

"With what? Do you need to kill someone? I found this great place to hide a body-"

"No Nora, Jeez!" He backed up and scoffed, before leaning in and lowering his voice. "I need help with Pyrrha." Nora took a moment to process the words before a smile grew on her face from ear to ear.

"I thought you'd never ask." She grinned and jumped out of her bed, running out of the room. "I'll meet you back here at 7 tomorrow, make sure you get her out of the room by 5!" Jaune stared wide eyed as Nora went out of sight.

"Where are you going?" He whisper-shouted. "It's 2 AM!"

The next day, just minutes before the clock would strike 7, Jaune anxiously sat on a bench just outside of Beacon, with Pyrrha beside him. They both had ice cream cones in their hands, Pyrrha happily eating hers while Jaune processed what Nora could be doing right now. His ice cream was melting in his hand as he thought absentmindedly, the dessert running all down his hand, to which Pyrrha noticed.

"Do you not like yours?" She asked with a small frown on her face. Jaune snapped out of his daydreaming and looked at Pyrrha.

"Oh, uh, no, of course not." He said. "Just a lot of things on my mind." He blushed and tried his best to clean up the ice cream from his hand.

"Well, thank you again Jaune. Today has been a great day to just relax with you." She smiled and gave him a small side hug. Jaune, surprised, looked down at Pyrrha who was smiling against his chest. It's just a friendly hug, he reminded himself. It means nothing, she doesn't like you like that.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." He spoke and returned the hug as best as he could. Nora was all that raced in his head, though. _What could she be doing?_ She never returned to their dorm last night, and she'd been gone all day. Her only instructions were to keep Pyrrha out of the room, and that's exactly what he did. He checked his Scroll for the time; 7:04.

"Hey, Pyrrha, wanna head back to the room?" He asked, hoping whatever she had planned would be finished by now. Pyrrha responded with a smile and a nod.

"That sounds lovely." The two made their way up to their room, chatting about random things like always. They never seemed to have the same conversation twice, it was always changing and adapting to what happened in their day. Jaune wouldn't change a thing about it, he was more than glad they could talk about anything with each other.

Jaune opened the door slowly, wincing to hope everything was alright... but that was an understatement. Ren and Nora were no where to be found, but in their absence was a single table in the center of the room. It had two chairs and a plate in front of each of them, a single candle lit in the center was the only light source in the room.

Jaune heard Pyrrha gasp beside him, looking over the room in shock. "Jaune...?" She asked, not taking her eyes off of the dining wear. "Is this... for me?"

Jaune, the quick thinker that he was, caught on fast. "Uh, yeah, of course it's for you. I had this all planned out since yesterday." He said, hoping she didn't notice the few voice cracks he had. Her expression turned from shock to happiness as she gave him a tight hug.

"This is amazing, Jaune." She said and pulled away. As they got closer to the dining set, Jaune noticed something, and Pyrrha spoke up about it. "Is this... one of the outdoor seating sets?" She asked, looking back at him.

"Uh... Yeah, I made sure it was okay with Ozpin before I took it... I hope..." He said the last part quietly, hoping she didn't hear him. "But anyway!" He stepped forward and pulled out a chair for his date. "Onward with this romantic evening." Pyrrha giggled as a response and sat down in the chair as Jaune sat in the one opposite of her.

"This is spectacular, how did you pull this off?" She asked, examining the food. It was some kind of fancy fish dinner with rice and veggies, something Jaune wouldn't have the slightest clue how to cook.

"I just, uh, had a lot of help is all." He smiled at her crookedly, hoping she couldn't see through his lie.

The dining set was near the window , which gave a beautiful view over Beacon, with Vale off in the distance. The moon lit up the sky beautifully, hanging over Beacon Tower. As the two began their meal, they once more began to speak of various topics, none of them including anything romantic. Jaune was still feeling shy about telling her his feelings, even though they were all alone, eating fancy food in a romantic candlelit dinner.

As Jaune was telling one of his heroic tales, Pyrrha noticed something was very wrong. "Jaune," Pyrrha spoke a little stern. "there's-"

"-And then I was like, 'No, you suck!' and I beat up Cardin before he could throw the jar of sap-"

"Jaune, the candle is-"

"Wait wait wait, this is the best part, a giant Ursa comes out of the woods and is about to-"

"Jaune!" She said, cutting him off. "The candle!" Jaune frowned and looked down, realizing that in his antics, had knocked over the candle, which was currently setting his bed on fire.

"Gah!" He exclaimed and got up, attempting to fan out the fire. Jaune wished he remembered it didn't work when Ren tried it early today, since the entire bed erupted into flames. Jaune tried thinking of what he could do, and then he remembered about the bucket of water. He turned around and was about to head out the room, before Pyrrha pushed by him and doused the flame. She had already gotten the bucket, filled it up and put out the fire in the same amount of time it would've taken Jaune to even remember it.

 _Worst date ever,_ he thought.

"Well, that was unexpected." Pyrrha said with sigh.

"Thanks Pyr," He said with a sigh of relief. Jaune looked over his bed, and realized the entire thing had been completely charred, the wood frame broken and the blankets singed. Jaune lowered his head with a groan. "Perfect. First, my date is ruined, and now my bed is too."

"Don't worry Jaune, I was full from the ice cream anyway." She tried to raise his spirits, although he could tell she was lying. They were both starving, and Jaune didn't have anything else planned. "And, if you don't mind, I'm sure you can bunk with me until we can get you a new bed." She smiled up at him. "After all, what are teammates for?"

Later that night, when Ren and Nora came back, everyone was exhausted from the days events. Team JNPR decided to go to bed early that night. Of course, Jaune knew the reason he wanted to go to bed. He climbed in next to Pyrrha, getting comfortable under the blankets. He felt his face get hot and tried being as close to the edge as possible, hoping to Give Pyrrha as much room as possible.

"Goodnight, Pyrrha." He spoke quietly, hoping the darkness of the room would hide his smile and blush.

"Goodnight, Jaune." She said back, and he felt her lips press against his cheek quickly before rolling over to the other side of the felt a smile take over. _After all, what are teammates for?_ He thought _. Best date ever._


	60. Nothing Catches on Fire, Yet

**Sorry for the short chapter but I'm pressed for time and decided an update was much needed. When I get the chance to write again, which should be sometime soon, I'll make sure to create plenty of full length chapters again. Thanks for reading!**

Were they dating? Were they more than friends? Were they doomed to be partners for the rest of their lives, never once to explore the possibility of a relationship for the rest of their lives? Jaune wasn't sure, but considering the fact that he was currently laying in Pyrrha's bed, with her head resting against his arm, he'd say they were a bit more than friends, and prayed it'd go even further than that.

Jaune turned his head to the sound of giggling, and saw Nora sitting up in her bed, her blanket still wrapped around her legs. "Morning, lover boy." She said between laughs.

"You're going to wake her up!" Jaune whisper-shouted, not daring to move anything but his head in case it would wake his romantic interest.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll let you get back to her then." She winked before hopping out of bed diligently and heading off to get dressed. Jaune sighed in relief and turned to admire his redhead's beauty. She was absolutely flawless. Jaune could spend an entire day drooling over Pyrrha. Not just her appearance though, she was stunning in every attribute. She was a shining example of what it means to be a hero, mentally and physically resilient, and emotionally stable. At least, from the outside. Jaune had known her for a while now, and noticed small cracks in her personality. Her voice might fluster slightly or trail off, and Jaune knew when that happened, something was bothering her. Jaune made it his mission to always cheer her up when she was down, the same way she did for him.

Jaune knew all too well that all Pyrrha wanted to be was normal. She was on the path of legends, to be immortalized in statues and stories for generations to hear, but she didn't want that, and it seemed like Jaune was the only one to understand. Although he was the opposite, and wanted his name to be sung throughout the ages, he knew how exhausting being a hero can be. He saw the pain in her eyes every time she was swarmed by fans, or put above others in classes. Pyrrha wanted a simpler life than she was given, and Jaune couldn't blame anyone for wanting that.

"Jaune." Pyrrha's voice broke the silence of the room and brought the blond back to reality. He must've not seen her wake up, too caught up in the redhead's features and natural beauty. Jaune nearly collapsed at the sound of his name. Pyrrha, despite being the most steadfast of warriors, always had the most adorable voice when she first woke up. It was raspy and dry, but her voice was a higher pitch than when she was fully awake. Jaune always wished to hear her like this, since she was the most captivating when tired.

"Hey, Pyr." Jaune smiled at his romantic interest, embracing her slightly. He still wasn't sure what they were considered, since they'd only been on one date, but hey, as long as Pyrrha wasn't getting shot with arrows, he was pretty content with where he was. Unless she told him, 100%, that they would never get together, he'd keep trying, no matter what. Although his attempts in the past have been futile, he was sure that at some point, luck would be at his side.

"Morning." She said simply in her beautiful morning voice. She leaned up slightly and gave him a gently kiss to his cheek, making the blond knight blush redder than her hair. Pyrrha arose from her bed and got up, preparing everything she needed for the day. "We have a test in..." Pyrrha's voice trailed off as she yawned into her arm, taking a moment to try and remember what she was saying. "We have a test in Port's class, don't forget Jaune."

"Don't worry, I know," Jaune groaned at the sound of a test, especially since he was having a hard time concentrating in class (Due to the girl standing before him). Jaune smiled as he gathered his things and left to get his armor on. When he returned, with his class suit on, Jaune admired his love interest standing in the mirror and adjusting her outfit in a few places. How could something so beautiful be so deadly?

"Are you ready to head to class?" Pyrrha asked when she noticed him in the doorway. She gathered her things together and stood by him.

"I'm ready, yeah," He smiled down at her, not realizing he was staring.

"Do I have something in my teeth?" She asked, blocking the view of her mouth with her hand.

"What? No! You're just, um... Really pretty, is all." Of every word in the human language, of every string of sentences he could've put together to describe the way Pyrrha looked, he managed to use the most simple word he could think of. Nice one, Jaune. He mentally slapped himself as he watched Pyrrha blush at the comment.

"Thank you, you're quite handsome as well." She responded with. Why couldn't Jaune ever be elegant, in any way? He always seemed to simplify things, to dumb them down to the point where even the best of compliments can sound rubbish and cliche. Jaune had a knack for that kind of thing, he was just too used to letting people down. He was never good at complimenting people, and often managed to insult the people he wanted to impress.

Before she left, though, Pyrrha planted a kiss on Jaune's lips, which caught the blond by surprise. They remained like that, awkward, with only their lips touching, for a few seconds before they both realized what was happening, and embraced one another. They remained close, their bodies pressing together as they held their lips together, until the flash of a camera blinded them. The couple pulled away from each other, blinded and surprised, as Yang giggled from the RWBY doorway.

"It's about time you two," She said, waving her phone in the air to confirm that she had caught the couple. Both Jaune and Pyrrha were blushing like crazy, not daring to look at each other. "That's just adorable. Maybe Cardin will definitely top harassing you, now that your girlfriend is Pyrrha Nikos. Oh, and I'll make sure everyone knows the great news." Before either of them could interject, Yang trotted off down the hallway and disappeared from sight.

After a few seconds of silence, Pyrrha and Jaune looked into each others eyes, and Jaune broke the silence. "Did she call you my girlfriend?"


	61. The Wingwoman, Part One

Pyrrha was ecstatic that Jaune was finally about to ask her out. He had to be, Nora had informed her that, earlier that week, Jaune went out and bought a bouquet of flowers and a bunch of romantic scented candles with frilly scents while she was away at practice. Today, he was talking to Weiss about having a special surprise for the "girl he cared about," and after those two encounters, Ren confirmed Jaune had been talking about his dearest friend, who had helped him with so much. It was easy to see, Jaune was getting prepared to ask her out. Pyrrha couldn't be more excited, and everyone could see her happiness. It seemed as if the world was finally treating her with a bit of good for all she's done. Especially putting up with Jaune for this long without strangling him for his incompetence. Nora, Ren and Jaune would be extra secretive when asked anything about their intentions, team RWBY also being quiet about the topic. Some of them would even shush her if she said too much.

It seemed as if flowers perked up when she walked by, like the sun shone brighter, like faces were friendlier. Life seemed just perfect for the redhead, not a single thing could break her happy mood; Jaune was her dream guy, and now, it wasn't going to be a dream anymore. She walked with a spring in her step as she walked about the campus. Jaune had asked for everyone in team RWBY and JNPR to stay away from their dorms so he could set up his surprise, which Pyrrha didn't mind at all. _He's setting up a date! Our date!_ She was afraid she might faint when he proposed to go steady, so she mentally trained herself and rehearsed her lines.

"Of course, Jaune." She giggled, talking to herself quietly as she strolled around Beacon. "I've wanted this ever since the Emerald Forest." She reminisced about their meeting, the first time she had laid eyes on him. Sure, it was almost stalker-ish, watching him from afar before using Weiss to get to introduce herself, but it was a great day, one of her favorites. She had first seen the blond knight in the ballroom their first night at Beacon. He was in those ridiculous bunny pajamas, which everyone had mocked around her. When she finally looked up and saw the boy, she believed him to be quite handsome, but figured they'd never meet. She admired his ability to ignore the others in the room, who had insulted Jaune the entire night. When she found out she might have a chance of being on a team with him, she decided to scope him out and see how he was.

That was when the two had officially met, and the rest is history. It almost pained her to imagine how small of a possibility the two of them being on the same team was, but she relieved herself knowing he would be her team leader until their days at Beacon were done. Maybe even after their time here, they could still keep together somewhat, maybe even as partners, Hunter and Huntress, together, fighting monsters and saving the world. If everything went according to Pyrrha's ideals, they'd even be together. She snapped out of her daydreaming when her Scroll buzzed. She excitedly picked up her phone and answered the video call from Jaune.

"Hello?" She asked, not able to contain her excitement. Her voice was slightly higher than normal, and hoped Jaune wouldn't notice and call off his plan. Jaune's bright, happy face appeared on the screen, and returned the greeting.

"Hey Pyr, I need you up in the dorm, we're all set up here." He seemed to be unable to hide his grin, just like Pyrrha. They were both obviously in love, so Pyrrha took it as an inclination to hurry to her room, fast. After all, she didn't want to keep her date waiting. "I'll be in team RWBY's room, make sure you get here quick for the surprise."

"Oh, sure. I'll be right there." The pair had said their goodbyes and hung up on each other. Pyrrha, practically running, made her way up to their hallway. She stopped just outside of team RWBY's room, deciding on one crucial factor; what should she be wearing? She was currently in her usually battle armor, but wasn't sure if she should be dressed nicely or not. She decided it would be adequate to change, and so she did. Turning on her heel and going into her own dorm, she began to quickly change. She let her battle armor clank as it hit the floor, trying too hard to change as quick as possible to care about annoying the people in the room under hers.

Speaking of others, where were Ren and Nora? Jaune had asked for everyone to leave, but neither of them were answering their Scrolls, and Pyrrha hadn't sighted them anywhere in Beacon. She decided they must've taken a trip to Vale and left it at that. Pyrrha stripped down to her underwear, setting her gear in her dresser without a care as she began to look through her wardrobe. It didn't have a huge selection to choose from, nor was it filled with a variety of clothing, but it had what she needed. Pyrrha decided a full dress would be overkill, especially if she wasn't supposed to know about it, so she settled on a simple frilly top and jeans.

Pyrrha knew which shirt she wanted and picked it out, a red and yellow striped long sleeve tee, and when she realized the color palate, she giggled to herself. Jaune and Pyrrha's colors were the perfect choice for such a moment, she thought before setting it on her bed. She looked through her collection of pants, and blushed a bit when she made her choice. She pulled out a pair of lightly colored jeans from her rack of clothing and set it beside her shirt, checking the options she made to ensure they matched.

Pyrrha nearly closed her wardrobe, her hand still on the handle for a moment before opening it up again. She began to blush a deeper red as she reached in, and pulled out a much more... revealing pair of underwear than the ones she had on currently. Pyrrha definitely wasn't going to do anything more tonight with her knight than possibly kiss, she knew that. But she decided if she were to get dressed up this much, she might as well go all the way with her outfit. Pyrrha picked out a matching bra and replaced her sports bra with it. Soon after she let her underwear fall and put her revealing ones on. She looked herself in the mirror self consciously before getting dressed once more. She believed she looked quite cute, but Pyrrha never had a good sense of style.

Content with her look, Pyrrha tossed her old clothes in a pile and went out, stopping with her hand on team RWBY's door. She exhaled and gave herself a moment to mentally prepare before entering. Pyrrha had a bright smile plastered on her face as she stepped in, prepared for a candlelit room with Jaune looking elegant as ever. What she saw, though, wasn't anything like that.

"Oh Pyrrha, you're here, good." Jaune said as he stepped down from one of the beds in the room. He had just hung up a banner from either end of the room with the words "Happy Birthday" on them. Pyrrha's jaw dropped a little as she felt herself confused. For one, it wasn't even close to her birthday. And two, the scene spread out before her wasn't at all what she was expecting. It had a small table set up against one wall with various snacks and drinks, with a cake in the center. Pyrrha hadn't even realized that Ren and Nora were setting up a stereo on the other side of the room.

Before she could ask anything, the door swung open behind her. She turned and watched as Weiss, Blake and Yang hurried into the the door and shut it behind them. "She's coming, quick, turn the lights off!" Yang whispered as she, as well as the others, gathered in semi circle around the door, with Jaune shutting off the lights. Pyrrha could barely comprehend what was going on, and not long after the lights were shut off, the sound of light footsteps made their way to the opposite side of the door. It slowly opened, and Jaune brought the lights back on as everyone cheered.

"Happy birthday!" Everyone around Pyrrha cheered out as Ruby stood shocked in the doorway. Ruby jumped at the shock and blushed a deep red before grinning widely.

"So this is why you took me to Vale." Ruby giggled. "This is amazing! I can't believe you guys remembered!"

"Well duh, your sister reminded us non stop for a month." Weiss interjected. "Jaune wouldn't stop whining about how great of a party decorator he was and wouldn't stop whining until we let him get the decorations." Pyrrha stared at the blond idiot on the other side of the room, who looked smug with his signing. Pyrrha still couldn't quite comprehend what was going on, still dumbfounded that her predictions were wrong.

"You even got me gifts? You guys shouldn't have!" Ruby blushed even deeper when she saw the pile of presents in the corner. Pyrrha hadn't even noticed it until now. Pyrrha meant to get Ruby a gift, but when she found out about the great news, her birthday was completely forgotten. Pyrrha almost felt bad, but was becoming even more flustered the longer she began to realize this setup wasn't for a date with Jaune.

"Excuse me for one moment. I left my gift in our dorm." Pyrrha said politely before leaving the room. She wondered if anyone even heard - or cared that she left. Pyrrha couldn't hide the sadness on her face, her world had been shattered after a week of build up. The last thing she saw before exiting the room was Nora, looking back at her.

Pyrrha stepped into her dorm and slowly shut the door before leaning her back against it and sliding down to the floor, beginning to tear up and make small sobs. She felt bad for feeling so selfish on Ruby's birthday, but she honestly believed Jaune was going to ask her out tonight. Eventually, in a few minutes, she would get up and rejoin the party with a fake smile plastered on her face. But for now, Pyrrha decided to let her emotions out. While her vision was blurred from tears, she thought up a bunch of ideas, one of them sticking out in her mind. She was going to make the call, and then no one would be able to stop her from getting Jaune.

Pyrrha was going to call her mother.


	62. The Wingwoman, Part Two

Pyrrha stared blankly at the contact on her Scroll, the green call button giving her a small amount of intimidation. Was it really necessary to call her? Pyrrha felt as though she may go overboard, or give her invaluable information. Her mother was known as one of the best matchmakers around, dubbed the "Wingwoman." She had written several books on the topic and offered help to anyone who'd ask, but Pyrrha was afraid that, since she was her daughter, she may get a bit too ahead of herself.

Pyrrha could hear the festivities in the next room and winced as another tear trailed down her cheek. Was she that selfish that she forgot completely about Ruby's birthday simply because she had a small thought that Jaune would express his feelings? Pyrrha felt terrible inside, but knew she couldn't change the way she felt. It wasn't something she could brush off. Soon, the others would find out that she'd been gone for too long, so she decided to act on impulse, something she rarely did.

She pressed the call button and awaited Armageddon.

After a few rings, the call was answered and Pyrrha's mothers face showed up in the screen. She looked a lot like Pyrrha, with a few differences. Her features were more defined, her hair was a darker shade of red, and her outfit was a royal-esque dress. She sat formally in a leather chair, the room she was in was stately and large. Pyrrha knew she was at her desk in their estate. Her mother would spend most of her time there, but always made sure to answer any family matters - like being a mom - over her work.

"Pyrrha!" Her voice was light and fluffy. "It's so good to see you! How are things at Beacon, assuming you didn't drop out?" She joked with a small giggle to finish off her sentence. Pyrrha only had fond memories of her mother, and enjoyed seeing her whenever she could.

"Hello mother." She smiled, hoping her watering eyes weren't visible from her end of the call. "Things are fine at Beacon. I just wanted to know if I could have some... help with something."

"Anything! Do you need me to bring your ointment? I told you, the rash would come back eventually. I hope you're not scratching too hard down there-"

"That's not what I'm talking about." Pyrrha blushed a deep red, trying to forget her childhood, instinctively putting a hand between her legs and scratching at her thighs skeptically.

"Oh, well what do you need then?"

"I'm having... Boy troubles." The second she finished her sentence, Mrs. Nikos jumped into action. She instantly sat p and leaned in.

"This is so exciting! Listen, Pyrrha, you're at an age when a girl thinks of many things involving boys, specifically their-"

"I just need advice getting one, mom." Pyrrha spoke quickly.

"Have you tried making up something sad to make him try and cheer you up, like I said in my letter last month?"

"Yes, and it actually worked for a bit. I told him our family house had to be sold."

"And he believed it? Doesn't he know how wealthy we are? Are you sure this man is smart enough for you dear?"

"He doesn't need to be smart enough for me, I think he's amazing the way he is."

"Well, that's probably why he hasn't made a move on you - he's too shy! You probably intimidate him too much, you're always brooding."

"Mom," She said with a groan, a blush covering her face.

"Okay, okay, I'm so glad! You're finally letting me help with your love life! I'll be down at the Beacon docks in an hour, don't keep me waiting."

"Mom, that's not really necessary-"

"See you soon sweetie!"Mrs. Nikos ended the call there, leaving Pyrrha alone with the faint sound of partying in the next room over. She sighed heavily, knowing it was a huge mistake to have called on her. She was terrified she might get too ahead of herself and end up making Jaune hate her. But, what's done is done. There was no stopping this now, it was too late to turn back She awaited the inevitable doomsday that was er mother.

She rejoined the party for a while, enjoying the food and friendly faces while she could. Once her mother showed up, she wasn't sure what she would say or do. For all Pyrrha knew, she could end up making some of them hate her guts. Her mother was very... truthful about things when it came to people, and some didn't appreciate it too much, especially when most of it was uncalled for or out of the blue.

Pyrrha seemed a little distant during the party, but Nora was the only one who seemed to notice. Pyrrha felt bad about not getting Ruby a gift for her birthday, and prayed she wouldn't realize the lack of a present. She contemplated writing her name next to Jaune's on his present to her, but decided taking credit for something she had no help in getting would be a step in the wrong direction. Instead, she only hoped Ruby wouldn't ask.

Almost an hour later, Pyrrha left the party to meet her mother by the Beacon docks. This was her moment of truth. Either Pyrrha would come to love this day, or hate it. She just prayed her mother didn't drive Jaune away with her unrelenting attempts. When the airship landed and a small group of people stepped out, Pyrrha's heart nearly beat out of her chest as she saw her mother step out. Pyrrha never knew how she could get somewhere so fast, she was all the way in Mistral, but nonetheless, she still showed up at the specified time.

Pyrrha flashed a smile as the two embraced, holding onto one another before Mrs. Nikos pulled away. "Alright, now, who's this man and what are his weaknesses?"

* * *

Pyrrha's heart nearly jumped out of her chest as she opened the door to her dorm. The party had been over with my the time she got back, with Ren, Nora and Jaune all in their beds doing their own activities. She stood there for a moment, praying everything would remain normal for now, before stepping to the side and clearing her throat. To this, everyone looked up at Pyrrha, and then at her mother who just walked in.

"Jaune, Ren, Nora... This is my mother, Mrs. Nikos." She introduced them, Jaune visibly getting nervous, with Nora and Ren smiling.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Nikos." The three of them said in unison.

"Please, please, call me Thetis." She said and bowed to them formally, a small smile on her lips. "So, Pyrrha, which one is it?"

"Excuse me?" She asked, taken off guard by the question.

"Is it the handsome one, or the scraggly one?" She said, making a kissing face in her direction to make sure the others didn't see.

"Oh-!" Pyrrha blushed lightly. "Blond." She whispered to her mother and nodded her head in Jaune's direction.

"Ah, I see..." Thetis seemed to raise an eyebrow as to question her choice. She stepped forward to the blond, who took the magazine out of his hands and tossed it aside.

"Um..." Was all Jaune could muster, before Mrs. Nikos brought a first down heavily onto his crotch, causing Jaune to yelp in pain.

"Mother, what are you-" Pyrrha tried interrupting, thinking she had officially gone mad. What was she thinking?

"Oh I'm so sorry!" Thetis said apologetically. "I didn't mean that at all, I meant to give you a handshake!" She obviously was lying, but somehow Jaune seemed to buy it. Pyrrha's jaw dropped, unsure what to think of the current situation.

"It's... Fine..." He groaned out.

"Pyrrha." Thetis called and turned to face her with an evil smile on her face. "Help Jaune ice his wound, won't you?"

 **And there's part two, with a little bit o' sexual tension at the end there, cause who _doesn't_ like some of it every now and then? I can't wait for you all to see what Mrs. Nikos has in store *Wink wonk*. I promised I'd bring the Wingwoman back, and it looks like she got her own story arc this time. Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is enjoying the new year so far!**


	63. The Wingwoman, Part Three

**Just a quick FYI to people who didn't know, Thetis is the mother of Achilles in the Iliad, so I decided it'd be a fitting name since Pyrrha is based off of him and what not. Hope you enjoy the sexual tension :)**

Half of Pyrrha was ready to tear her mother's head off, and the other half was ready to tear Jaune's clothes off. The hormonal teenage side of her nearly fainted at the thought of trying to help Jaune with his current problem, resisting the urge to jump at the possibility. The other side, though, didn't want any part of what Thetis was trying to accomplish. Pyrrha knew right off the bat this might end badly, but didn't expect it to start that way.

"Well, Pyrrha, don't just stand there, help the poor boy!" Thetis flashed a smile and winked over at her daughter, who nodded and stepped forward. "What should I do?"

"Here, take this ice pack I prepared." She pulled out a small blue box from seemingly nowhere, and Pyrrha questioned just how far she had planned ahead. It wasn't some impulse decision to get her daughter to touch a guys... thing. She actually wanted this to happen and had time to think about it. Pyrrha questioned her mother's tactics and was already wanting her to go back home. Pyrrha slowly took the pack and stepped forward nervously.

"No, no, it's fine, Pyrrha... Really..." Jaune groaned out, holding a hand out. "I can do it myself-"

"Nonsense boy, let her help you." Thetis chimed happily. Nora and Ren gave odd looks from the other side of the room, but didn't seem to interject. Pyrrha knew they had both read the note Thetis sent her a while ago, and they both knew of her reputation with being a matchmaker in her free time. Thanks to Jaune not knowing nearly anything about the Nikos family, he was clueless as to what was going to happen to him over the course of her stay.

Jaune slowly retracted his hand, gulping as he tried to remain calm as his crush neared his crotch. He was in terrible pain, but he had to thank her mother for accidentally hitting him, or they wouldn't be in this situation. So, Jaune saw it as a necessary sacrifice. Jaune winced as Pyrrha timidly placed the ice pack between his legs, the two of them blushing like crazy. Jaune tried his best to think of anything but Pyrrha's hand being there. Sure, he'd dream of this later on tonight, imagining her in the exact same spot and position she was now (Except, maybe holding something else in her hand,) but if he got a hard-on right now, Pyrrha would no doubt feel it rise, and the thought made Jaune go insane.

"Jaune, are you sure that ice is working?" Thetis asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. Pyrrha was confused, wondering if her mother finally understood her own plan. Pyrrha mocked her mothers voice in her head, saying, _'Okay Pyrrha, there's no need to whore yourself out, I only meant it as a little joke, you can stop it now.'_ Pyrrha was almost saddened at the thought of leaving this moment.

"Why?" Jaune asked.

"I didn't think you could feel the cold through those jeans." Pyrrha took a deep breath. _Uh oh._

"Nonsense my boy, go ahead and take them off. It's not like you'll be naked or anything. Oh, and, you two." Thetis looked in Nora and Ren's direction. "Go get some more ice please. And, do take your time getting it. They're in no rush." At this, the other members of team JNPR hastily left the room, Nora giggling on her way out. Thetis was getting them closer than Nora had in the past month, and she was happy to finally see some changes.

"Mother, are you sure this is-"

"Necessary? Of course it is, don't be shy." She motioned for Jaune to continue.

"Do I have to?" Jaune asked, blushing even more. If he barely managed to hide his thoughts now, what was he going to do when the only thing separating Pyrrha's hand and Jaune's crotch was a thin layer of clothing and a bag of ice? Jaune, very slowly moved his hands down to try and take them off before Pyrrha's mother interjected again.

"No no no, Jaune, You're wounded! Let Pyrrha do that for you." Thetis waved her hand to show it wasn't a big deal. "Go on, Pyrrha."

The redhead nearly died of anxiety right then, but managed to stay alive to try and live to see this through. Sure, she wasn't all for sexual things, but she had been deprived of being with Jaune for their entire friendship, she deserved just a little bit. Her hands shook as she slowly moved the bag of ice and undid Jaune's pants, slowly pulling them down to his thighs. She nearly exploded into laughter when seeing his underwear.

"Jaune, what is that?" She asked, hiding her mouth behind her hand to try and be a bit more polite. Currently, the blond knight was wearing pink Pumpkin Pete's brand boxers, with the little bunny directly over his crotch.

"What? They were on sale!" Jaune blushed deeper, if that was even possible. Now, knowing Pyrrha was staring right down at the one place she wanted her, couldn't keep his thoughts out of the gutter, and curse himself mentally when he felt himself get a hard-on. Jaune knew after this he would have to move far, far away to escape this embarrassment. He simply stared up at Pyrrha, waiting for the shock to show on her face.

And then, it did. When Pyrrha finally realized what she was staring at, with Pumpkin Pete's face popping up at her, her mouth dropped and her mind went blank. A thin layer of clothing was the only thing stopping her from seeing it, and the teenage side of Pyrrha began to win in her mind.

"Alright Pyrrha, don't bother using the ice any more, he'll probably go numb." Thetis chuckled to herself as the couple stared at each other, speechless. "You can, however, give him a massage while you're at it. You know how... _Sensitive_ boys are there."

"Mother, I don;t think we need to-"

"Oh come on now, we're all grown ups here. I'm sure you can remain professional." Thetis giggled to herself as she watched Pyrrha grow a darker shade of red.

Slowly, Pyrrha turned back to face Jaune. "Would it be a-alright if I-"

"What the hell, just do it." Jaune groaned, knowing she had seen it and decided if he was going in, he might as well dive. Pyrrha nearly passed out as he tenderly began massaging his sore spot, the two of them avoiding eye contact the entire time. Jaune had to forcibly stop himself from groaning, wondering how long this would go on for. He figured Pyrrha wouldn't stop until Thetis said so.

That's when Pyrrha finally turned around to face her mother. "This isn't what I had in mind when I said-" Pyrrha froze when she realized her mother had vanished. She was no longer in the room, the once open door now closed. In her absence was a single square note on the ground. She frowned and got up (To Jaune's disappointment,) and picked up the note, reading it.

 _Don't worry, I locked the door for you and put a sock on the doorknob, take all the time you need massaging your boyfriend Pyrrha. Also, make sure to use this! -Love, Your caring mother_

Pyrrha frowned and turned the note over, seeing a small square package taped to the back of it. She blushed deeper when she realize it was a condom, and quickly tossed it on her dresser.

"Is something wrong?" Jaune asked, his voice much higher than normal.

"Nope," Pyrrha said with a sigh. "My mother is just a psychopath is all."


	64. The Wingwoman Finale

Pyrrha had no clue what had gotten into her mother. She was never like this, which confused her even more. Her mother was respectable, humble, and orderly. She was using the equivalent of guerrilla tactics in warfare against Jaune, which was the opposite of how she expected her mother to be. Pyrrha knew she was known for getting people to fall in love, but if these were the reasons why, then maybe she should retire. Pyrrha and Jaune were alone in the room ever since last night when Thetis had left them alone in there (And abruptly giving Pyrrha a note with a surprise present). Jaune was on his bed talking away as Pyrrha listened intently.

Pyrrha was going to take the sock off of the doorknob yesterday, but decided if she left it on, maybe she could get some alone time with her boy toy. _Did I just say boy toy in my head? Pyrrha, what's wrong with you? You're a Nikos for Ren's sake! Act like it!_ Pyrrha was fighting her inner teenage girl, hoping she wouldn't randomly blurt out random tidbits of her feelings for him. It was hard for her to suppress - they were alone, they had been in close proximity to one another, and Jaune obviously liked her. So why didn't she make a move? Her inner warrior told her to be still, and wait for a more opportune moment before striking. Right now she was absentmindedly talking to Jaune about anything under the sun.

"-And then Cardin comes over and gets ready to throw the sap at you, but I was all heroic and brave and stuff, and I -" He was cut off when a small knock came from the door. If it was Pyrrha's mother, she would definitely have a word with her out in the hallway. These kinds of methods she used were completely absurd not only to a teammate, but to someone she wanted to impress. Sure, Pyrrha asked for her help, but she thought there would be more romantic things in her plans rather than... Graphic ideas.

Jaune got up and answered the door, letting it swing open. "Mrs. - Mrs. Nikos! Hi!" He said, blushing deeply as Thetis made her way into the room. Why was Jaune blushing so hard? Was he afraid she might punch him in his privates again? Or simply wasn't sure how to act around her crush's mother? Pyrrha assumed it might be a little bit of both, hoping Jaune actually had feelings for her. Every other guy in this school had already proclaimed their love for her ten times over, except the one guy she wanted. _Well, I guess that's why I like him so much,_ She thought.

"Hello Jaune." She spoke formally. "I hope you two didn't have too much fun while I was out with your friends." Almost on cue, Ren and Nora came around the corner with popcorn and cotton candy. Nora was taking huge chunks out of her food, obviously happy she was treated so wall over the night they were gone.

"O-Of course not Mrs.-"

"I told you, call me Thetis dear." She smiled softly, and turned to face Pyrrha, who was steaming. Pyrrha stood up from her bed and dusted herself off.

"Mother, can I speak to you?"

"Of course dear, what is it?" She asked sweetly.

"Privately." Pyrrha finished, and her mother nodded to the request. The two of them stepped out into the hallway and Pyrrha shut the door behind them. "What was all that for last night? I wanted your help to get him to ask me out, not to get him naked!" She whisper-shouted. Under normal circumstances, Pyrrha would never raise her voice at her mother, but this, obviously, wasn't normal.

"What's the difference? Love is love." Thetis spoke calmly. "Besides, if you did as I asked, he probably would've asked you out anyway. You didn't say how you wanted to get together with him. All you asked me was to get his attention for you." Pyrrha clenched her fists together and let out a soft sigh.

"What do you plan on doing next, then?" She asked her mother, hopeful she wouldn't have anything sexual in mind.

"Well, I was thinking page 45 of your diary would do more than suffice." She giggled and held up the small leather notebook that was Pyrrha's journal. Her eyes widened for a moment, before shock was turned into anger.

"You looked through my diary?" She asked. "That's a complete invasion of my privacy-"

"Oh hush dear I'm your mother, I've read all of your journals ever since you were a little girl. Now, I was thinking we could skip the fluff at the beginning of the page and go right to the juicy stuff - starting with the red lingerie-"

" _Mother!_ "

"Okay, what about the heart shaped bed-?"

"No! I don't want to use that page!"

"Oh come on, what about the tiger part? We could easily do the tiger part!"

"No. If you can't help me solve this matter without using sexual violence then I don't need your help." Pyrrha crossed her arms and gleamed up into her mothers eyes, which matched the same, emerald color. Thetis stared back with a hint of purple, which was a little odd. Were her eyes always slightly purple?

"Fine, fine. But I still want to use the part where-"

"No."

"Alright, jeez. You're always so difficult Pyrrha." She spoke. Pyrrha had resisted the urge to walk away from her mother right then, hoping she could finally get her mind out of the gutter and help her. "How about this. I've got a really nice dress you could wear for a nice date tonight. I had it made special when I was your age. I'll get the food and the theme set up, just keep Jaune out of the room for a bit." Pyrrha raised an eyebrow at this. Was she giving an actual, real idea to help her? She wasn't going to let her revert back to her sexual ways and decided a little bit of help was better than a lot of perverted help.

"Alright, when do you want me to bring him back?"

"Around 7, everything should be ready then." She spoke, and gave a small smile. Pyrrha returned it, finally happy she could rely on her mother for this matter. She stepped back inside the room. "Hey Jaune, want to go for a walk down in Vale?" She asked, interrupting his conversation with Ren (Who gave her a glare, but let it go).

Jaune turned to face her, his eyes lighting up at the sound of spending time with her. "Sure,t hat sounds great! Let me get my things ready." Soon, the two of them made their way to the docks and got an airship to take them to Vale, where the spent the day shopping, eating and walking around the city. This in itself was a good date on its own, especially since Pyrrha was in a romantic mood. But just the thought that they would have a nice, candlelit dinner would end the night perfectly. She hoped the day would never end.

But of course, eventually, she'd wish the day never happened.

At exactly 7, the Jaune and Pyrrha made their way back to Beacon. Pyrrha checked her scroll, where her mother had sent her a message. _The dress is in Team RWBY's room._ Pyrrha gave a bright smile as they walked side by side towards the dorms.

"Jaune, could you wait here for a moment?" Pyrrha asked, just outside of their room.

"Uh, sure, is something wrong?"

"Of course not! I just, need a second to get ready is all. Don't go in the room just yet." She flashed a smile to Jaune before entering Team RWBY's room and closing the door behind her. When she turned to see the dress, she gasped, seeing a beautiful array of red and orange in a dazzling display of swirls and sways. Although the skirt was a bit shorter than she found comfortable, she decided to at least try it out. Weiss handed over the dress to Pyrrha with an evil grin, who then got changed in the corner of the room. When she checked the outfit in the mirror, she believed she looked quite dazzling. "Look at me, I'm almost like a normal girl," She spoke to herself and giggled, finally able to relax. She stepped out of the dorm and shut the door behind her, seeing Jaune patiently tapping his foot awaiting her return.

"All set Jaune." She spoke with a soft smile and a blush, watching Jaune's eyes light up when he saw her attire for the night.

"What's all of this for?" He asked, not sure why she was all dressed up, especially since they had just returned from their friendly date.

"Open the door and see, vomit boy." She giggled, hiding her smile behind her hand like she did when she was nervous. She stepped close behind Jaune, watching him slowly let the door swing open. And that's when Pyrrha's smile turned into a look of complete shock.

Inside the room was, in order of Pyrrha's attention; A heart shaped bed, a tiger laying on top of the heart shaped bed, a set of whips of leather attire in the corner, various heart shaped pillows scattered around the room with rosebuds everywhere, candles lit all around the perimeter of the room, and, lastly, a stuffed fake horse in the corner of the room. Pyrrha's jaw dropped as she looked around the room, not believing what she was seeing. Everything in the room was all from her diary, page 45 to be exact. The only thing missing was the red lingerie.

And that's when, back in RWBY's dorm, Weiss pulled the string attached to Pyrrha's dress, which pulled off the top layer, revealing the red lingerie that was spoken of earlier. Pyrrha looked down and gasped, covering herself as best as she could. When she looked up at Jaune, he had a raging nosebleed, and passed out on the spot. Pyrrha's eyes widened and caught her love interest (Who, without a doubt hated her by now,) before he hit the floor. She set him down slowly and looked up at the only other person in the room.

"What were you thinking?!" Pyrrha asked Thetis who giggled lightly, holding the calmed tiger by its leash.

"You're so fun to mess with." She said between laughs, unable to control herself.

"I demand an explanation!" Pyrrha yelled as she picked up the scraps of her dress and tried covering herself with it. That's when Thetis' image faltered and flickered, and was soon replaced with the image of a very happy looking Yang.

"You're so gullible." She said. Pyrrha's jaw dropped as Yang laughed lightly. "We used the dust that swaps our bodies silly." Yang wiped a tear from her eye with a giggle. "The second your mom got on the airship we switched bodies with dust and snuck your real mom out the back. I knew it'd be the only way you'd listen to me."

Pyrrha balled her fists and then came to another realization. "Wait, you're the one who switched Jaune and I's bodies last month?" She asked.

"Yup, all me. Don't worry, your mom's been safe this whole time, sipping on juice down in the cafeteria with Ren and Nora. You should probably go check on her. You can thank me later-" She was cut off when Pyrrha began throwing on her armor. "What're you getting that stuff on for?" She asked, hesitantly beginning to strafe towards the door.

"I'm getting ready to return the favor." Pyrrha spoke quietly as she turned to face Yang, spear in hand. That was Yang's queue to run out of the room, with Pyrrha right on her heels chasing after her.

Jaune slowly sat up with a groan and rubbed his head. "What happened...?" He asked himself as he looked around the room with wide eyes, his eyes landing on the tiger sitting patiently on the bed, before falling back down and passing out.

 **Well I hope I got the chaotic feel I was going for with this chapter! I know I know, sorry for the late update and the random smuttiness and whatnot, but I'll update a bit more often soon! I kinda just felt like writing something really off the wall since I hadn't done something like this in a while, and hey, now you have a little insight as to what page 45 is in Pyrrha's journal ;) hope you enjoyed!**


	65. The bake-off, Part One

"Any idea what to do now?"

"Nope. You?"

"Not at the moment."

"Interesting."

"Very." This was the extent of Pyrrha and Jaune's conversation for the past hour and a half. It was almost amusing how boring they were together. The two of them had done everything in the book, from sparring to napping to hanging out with friends. Nothing seemed to entertain the two, no matter how much they tried. Boredom was never really a problem at Beacon due to the fact that the school dealt almost exclusively in how to stay alive (Which often left students injured, and at the least busy). But this weekend had been brutally boring for them. Pyrrha nearly told Jaune her feelings for him just to try and give them something to talk about.

 _No, Pyrrha. Save it for a better time. Now wouldn't be a good story for your future grandchildren._ She cut herself off, realizing that, once again, she was thinking too far into the future. For all she knew, she could get shot in the chest in the next few days. Or worse, Jaune could indirectly tell her he didn't like Pyrrha at all. That thought terrified Pyrrha. She was a total stranger to love, but she felt as though he was just... right for her. it nearly brought her to tears at the thought. Why was she so emotional this week? She constantly had to remind herself to stay strong. Was she beginning to break in frustration of Jaune's overall idiocy?

"I've got an idea!" Jaune suddenly sprang up, drawing Pyrrha's attention from her dreams.

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"We-" He paused, and slowly a frown crept onto his face. "Never mind, now that I think of it, it might..." Pyrrha saw something was wrong somehow.

"What do you mean?" She asked, sitting up to match his eye level. Was he blushing?

"Well, we haven't played a game in a while, but it's... it's just a bad idea, ever since the last time." This got Pyrrha interested. What game was he talking about? What could possibly be this bad to make him truly blush like this? Had he read her diary like everyone else had? She mentally freaked out for a moment, but remained calm on the surface. Jaune was taking longer than normal to find the right words without stumbling on them.

"Truth or dare." He finally let out with a huff, blushing an even deeper red. Of course, this made Pyrrha crimson a bit as well. She recalled the last time, when Team RWBY's room caught on fire, almost entirely. Jaune had managed to twist his ankle, Yang had a hickey that wouldn't go away for a month, and Blake blushed at the sight of her for that time. Basically, over that night, everything wrong that could've happened, happened. The only good thing that resulted from that night was Jaune - he was dared to kiss Pyrrha, obviously to her delight, but the nerdy blond passed out before he could. It was honestly adorable, but anticlimactic as well.

"Truth or dare sounds like a good idea." Pyrrha concluded after a moment with a soft smile. _Maybe this time I'll finally get him to kiss me._ Pyrrha began to dream of the moment with him, their friends cheering them on. Later, they'd go back to their dorm and have a little fun, like how she imagined in page 45 of her-

"Just us, or do you want to invite the others too?" Jaune cut off her dreaming once more. Pyrrha shook her head slightly to try and get the thoughts out of her head.

"Whatever you believe to be the best option, Jaune." She said in her sweetest tone. Part of her wanted to be alone with Jaune, since it would almost ensure that something romantic would happen, she was afraid something too romantic would happen. No matter how much she could think about it, or how much she wished it would happen, she didn't want anything too serious to happen yet. They were both still teenagers, young adults who barely know what they would even do in a situation like that. She prayed Jaune felt the same way, if he even felt anything for her at all.

"Let's invite the others." Jaune concluded. "Are Ren and Nora on their way back yet?"

"I believe so, they left to get more syrup hours ago. Maybe they got held up in Team RWBY's room?" She suggested to her - to the blond knight. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Might as well check." He decided. "Want to come along with me?" He suggested.

To this, Pyrrha smiled softly. I'd love to join you, Jaune." For the past few months, she had been trying to talk extra sweet to her romantic interest to see if it'd make him more confident in talking to her. She knew he had a problem talking in the first place, since he was such a klutz. She tried encouraging the blond as much as possible, it was one of her many goals in life. To help Jaune overcome his self doubt, and be able to tell his feelings to her on his own... If he even had feelings for her. Either Jaune was insanely oblivious, or he simply didn't like her back. She prayed he was just oblivious.

Pyrrha sat up and held a hand out in an attempt to hold Jaune's hand. Jaune noticed this and helped her to her feet, their hands staying connected for a moment as they stared into each others eyes. Was she just imagining the tension between them? He had to know something felt totally and completely wonderful in the small moment they held each others hand.

But, eventually, Jaune let go and cleared his throat, turning away. "C'mon, let's make sure Nora didn't start another fire." With that, the two of them left Team JNPR's room and headed across the hall. The knocked gently on the door, and a moment later, Ruby opened it and stood on the other side.

"Hey, Jaune, hey Pyrrha." She exclaimed in her high pitched voice, cheerful as always. "What's up?"

"We're looking for Ren and Nora, and wondering if you've seen them." Jaune said, looking back at Pyrrha for a moment before continuing. "We were going to play truth or dare with them, if you and your team wanted to join in." To this, Ruby began to laugh hysterically.

"Truth or dare?" She asked between wheezes. "Why, so you can get punched in the face again?" Pyrrha and Jaune both grimaced. She forgot that happened - Jaune was not only dared to kiss her, but Yang also forced him to try and kiss Blake. Of course, she only did this for fun, and not to set them up like she did with Pyrrha and Jaune, but he still got a face full of fist for that.

"no," Jaune said with a bit of sass in his voice. "We're unsure what else to do. We've done everything a human can possibly do in a 24 hour time span, this is all we can think of." Ruby, when she recovered from her laughing fit, responded.

"What about making cookies?" She suggested. Pyrrha and Jaune both drew a blank. How, over the entire weekend, had neither of them brought up the idea to cook? Pyrrha wasn't the best but she could bake pretty well, and watching Jaune attempt to make something was always entertaining. Pyrrha nearly slapped herself in the face, they wasted nearly six hours sitting around doing nothing in their dorm.

"Well, you see..." Jaune began. "...I'm honestly not sure."

"Well you should, it's a win win win situation." She giggled, her expression becoming more serious. "You two get to go on a little cooking date/standoff, and I get free cookies." Jaune looked back at Pyrrha for confirmation that it was a good idea, and she nodded in agreement. When he turned to face Ruby, she was suddenly inches away from him.

"You better make me some good cookies vomit boy, or I'll-"

"Okay okay, I will!" Jaune raised his hands in self defense. "Its Pyrrha's cooking you should look out for."

"Oh, really?" Pyrrha said and crossed her arms. "I'd like to see you try and top my skills." She knew Jaune's competitive side would begin to show and used this to encourage him.

"Yeah, right! I bet my cookies could beat yours!"

"You're on." Pyrrha grinned, and the two of them raced towards the kitchen in the cafeteria. Pyrrha wasn't sure what was going to become of this 'date', but she knew it could have a possibility of becoming something more than just a friendly activity together. When Jaune got competitive, he got sloppy. And when he got sloppy, it was an ample opportunity to progress with their relationship.

"I call being the judge!" Ruby called out.

 **Sorry once more for the late update, but I recently got a job so most of my free time is being eaten up by that. Hopefully this wasn't too incredibly boring, but I wanted you all to know I'm still alive and that I'll actually make a few more chapters this week/end. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, and once more sorry for the short/filler chapter, but I'll make the next one tomorrow night or the next! I hope you enjoyed!**


	66. The Bake-off, Part Two

The pair stood awkwardly beside one another, avoiding the others' glance as they tried to think of something. Pyrrha was fumbling with her hands - which she only did in Jaune's presence - while our favorite blond scratched at the back of his neck. They looked around the various utensils, pots, pans and appliances scattered throughout the kitchen, each in various shapes and sizes. Jaune was afraid of accidentally poisoning them, while Pyrrha didn't want to beat Jaune by a huge landslide like she normally did in combat... and just about anything else.

"Have you ever cooked before?" Pyrrha asked, looking over and up at him. To this, Jaune shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe once or twice."

"I'm sure you're fantastic at it." Pyrrha gave a reassuring smile, all the while adding in, "But I bet I can do better." Pyrrha knew that, even if she was joking, Jaune would take it literally. He'd push himself to try and beat her, which Pyrrha loved about him. It was almost like he was negatively charged; Jaune fought harder and didn't give up when people doubted or criticized him. Pyrrha wished she could do the same, she was just good at ignoring people. Jaune, however, had a fire in him that only grew brighter when it was doused.

"Hey!" Jaune exclaimed, and defensively grabbed a few pots and pans from the racks hanging above them. "I bet you're wrong!" Pyrrha couldn't help but chuckle at his sudden eagerness to get started.

"Do you even know what you're going to make?" She asked, realizing she was talking a bit higher than normal. _Did Jaune really have this kind of affect on her? How could a girl, who had never felt this kind of way about anyone else, be sure it's love?_ Pyrrha knew the answer, though. It was because He was Jaune.

"Nope, but it'll be better than yours." He decided with a small grin tugging at the corners of his lips. Jaune set down his utensils and cooking materials, which was practically half of the kitchen. "What to make, what to make..." He asked himself, but soon, a short red cape would fly past him, the girl wearing it only visible until she stopped by his side.

"First round, cookies!" Ruby cheered, clipboard in hand. Jaune jumped at the sudden movement, believing for a moment she was a ghost. He fell to the ground and managed to knock over a pan onto his head. Ruby frowned a bit and backed up to give him time to realize it was her. All the while, Pyrrha had ran forward and caught Jaune's arms to keep him from hitting the ground. Pyrrha had amazing reflexes, probably the best in the school, and had decided in a split second Jaune would need her help.

But, is that a good thing? Pyrrha racked her brain while holding Jaune's hands. She felt herself blush a bit as he held onto him, but continued to focus on her thoughts in the moment. Would Jaune grow too dependent on her? What if, for some reason, she wasn't around to help him anymore? Would he perish because he needed her to finish battles and keep motivation to go on?

Before she could find an answer to her question, Jaune slowly stood with her help. "Thanks," He chuckled lightly and pulled one hand away to lift up the pot up from his eyes. When he looked down at her, and realized it was Pyrrha and not Ruby who helped him up, his cheeks turned as red as Pyrrha's hair. Their hands were still together, though, neither of them wanting to pull away, and for a moment, Pyrrha almost thought she was unconsciously leaning closer to him, her lips beginning to guide themselves to his...

Until Ruby broke them apart. "Sorry guys, but my cookies are more important than the furthering of a plot." She said, looking into the distance as if she were on camera, and almost like she was waiting for some kind of laugh track to play. Pyrrha and Jaune were both blushing deeply, until Ruby managed to get them far enough apart to focus only on her. "I will be the judge of who makes the best cookies. If they're burnt, you're disqualified. Let the baking begin!" She declared, and sat on a nearby counter swinging her legs back and forth happily.

Pyrrha looked back at Jaune, half expecting him to want to resume their intimate moment. But then, she realized it was Jaune she was talking about. He was already making the dough for the cookies. She sighed softly, quiet enough that neither of them heard, and began to make hers as well. She mixed in the ingredients methodically, unlike Jaune who threw them into a bowl in guesses of quantities. Pyrrha flawlessly whisked hers into a fine dough, while Jaune practically stomped it together.

Jaune may have started earlier than her, but due to her skill, Pyrrha managed to get her cookies placed on a sheet and into the oven at around the same time as Jaune. The pair wiped their brows and sighed together, almost in unison. The first to speak after the tense moment of silence was Pyrrha. "How well do you think you did?" She asked in her usual happy-go-lucky voice. However, it was still in that higher pitched range since she was talking to her crush, who was currently covered in cookie dough.

"Hopefully well." He said with a small, feeble chuckle. Pyrrha laughed as well at this, his voice always brightening her day. "What about you?"

"I believe I did my best." Pyrrha said in return. She found that she always spoke as a neutral, even against herself. Very rarely did she see herself saying flat out that she was going to win or not. She didn't like being overconfident, which is probably why she admired Jaune. Of course, she used it today to get Jaune in the mood for a competition.

After talking for a good while, the pair checked their cookies and decided they were done. When the doors opened to their ovens, the room filled with the scent of warm chocolate and homemade cookies, which instantly got her ready to taste her creation. She used her polarity to get out the tray of cookies and set it on the stove to let them cool before shutting the door. Pyrrha inspected them closely, admiring her work. Not a single burnt edge, chocolate chips dispersed evenly throughout them, and each one the same, perfect shape as the other.

She stole a look over at Jaune's, and frowned slightly. Each and every one of them were lopsided, one side cooked better than the other. Some of them didn't even have any chocolate chips, while others had them filled to the brim. Pyrrha instantly felt bad for trying too hard like she always did. Jaune was working so hard, and seemed so confident, that Pyrrha was sure he'd make decent food. But, once more, she overestimated him. She contemplated switching out their trays so his would win, but wasn't sure how she could do it without them noticing. Maybe she could let him win the next round.

Ruby got off of her counter excitedly, looking over the competitors cookies closely. "Well, Pyrrha definitely wins the presentation." She said confidently, and Pyrrha's very soul hurt a bit. She looked over at Jaune, who simply stared down at the tiled floor. His expression made Pyrrha want to smack herself.

Ruby soon grabbed one cookie off each of their plates, and took a bite of one. After a moment, she ate the entire thing with a disgusted look. The next cookie she ate left a warm and happy smile on her face. Ruby, soon, had eaten nearly half of their plates by herself. "Good job Jaune." Pyrrha said with a fake smile, still feeling terrible. She decided to grab one of his cookies to try it, and took a small bite. When the taste soon reached her senses, she nearly melted. In her hand was possibly the best cookie she had aver eaten in her entire life. She looked over at Jaune, who was still visibly upset. "Jaune...?" She began, but was cut off by Ruby.

"...Is the winner!" Ruby said with her mouth full. She continued to stuff cookies into her mouth while Pyrrha and Jaune both stared at her, wide eyed.

"What?"

"You won by a landslide!" Ruby soon had eaten all of Jaune's plate, smiling happily.

"Jaune... Won?" Pyrrha asked, turning to face her after a moment. She looked back at her own tray, which Ruby had barely touched.

"Of course he won. His taste homemade, original, fresh. Are you sure you didn't get yours from a cardboard box or something?" She asked with a giggle as she licked the chocolate off of her fingers. Pyrrha eventually got over the shock, but was still utterly surprised. Jaune had truly beaten her at something, and Pyrrha hadn't even held back like when they were fighting. This, of course, brought a smile to her face. She was happy he had a true skill.

Now, Pyrrha was ready for the next round, eager to see what else Jaune was better than her at.


	67. The Bake-off, Part Three

"Next up on this episode for Ruby's Rumbles... A heated competition between Beacon's best, the lovely Pyrrha Nikos, and our underdog with a lineage to uphold, Jaune Arc!" Ruby announced to the pots and pans, as if she were the host of a popular TV show. Jaune and Pyrrha glanced over at one another, somewhat unsure of what to do in the meantime while their friend spoke on and on about their juicy battle about to commence. Pyrrha stepped closer, still facing Ruby, and whispered over to Jaune.

"I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised that you're such a good baker. Did your sisters teach you?" Pyrrha was nothing close to a professional cook, but she knew enough to think her own food wasn't as atrocious as Ruby made them seem. Maybe Pyrrha could get Jaune to bring her to his sister for some lessons.

"Nope, I just sort of... Learned. I got really bored of those blank box cookies, and knew those warm homemade ones were the best, so I decided to perfect my craft. I did the same for mac & cheese, bacon and baked potatoes. Sometimes I'd combine them all and just sort of... Melt away from the taste." Jaune flashed a smile, seeming to be rather joyous that he had been better than Pyrrha. Sure, in the end he wanted it to just be a fun experience for the two members of JNPR, but it felt great for him to be actually good at something for once, so why not enjoy it?

"Well, let's hope we don't end up having to make those things, or I'm sure you'd win." Pyrrha returned Jaune's smile and brought a hand up to his shoulder, the way she did subconsciously when he wanted Jaune to know she was supporting him. She started this habit when Jaune was elected team leader of JNPR, and ever since, had used it to perk Jaune up a bit. It was an added bonus that it allowed Pyrrha to bring their contact that much closer.

"Alright team, let's see who's better at... Cookies!" Ruby cheered herself on at the request, but Pyrrha and Jaune remained still.

"Ruby, we've already done cookies. Look, you're still eating some of Pyrrha's too." Jaune pointed out to their RWBY friend, who was, as Jaune stated, scarfing down what little remained of the previous batch. She finished the cookie in her hand before continuing.

"Sorry, I just... Really like cookies." Ruby apologized, but didn't seem to sway her answer.

"Well, we can make you some more later if you'd like. But for now don't you want to try something new?" Pyrrha offered, which seemed to be the answer Ruby was looking for. After a moment of careful consideration, she nodded her head and hopped up onto the counter where the cookies had been a moment before.

"How about we try... I've got it! Breakfast foods!" She swayed her feet lightly while she hummed, confident that she was ready for whatever they could make from the vast selection of food they could make. Rather than limit them to a specific dish, maybe she could get some more out of the competition. Plus, who doesn't like breakfast foods?

Jaune and Pyrrha eyed one another, before Ruby gave the command to start. They both raced to get their materials, Pyrrha not only being faster at getting them, but also starting much sooner. She already knew what she was going to make - crepes with fruit and light sugar. It was a simple dish that didn't take too long to prepare, but looked good enough to be served in a restaurant. Meanwhile, the blond knight looked at the various ingredients he had picked out, not a single clue as to what to make. Meanwhile, the added stress of Pyrrha already starting forced him to just grab something and start.

During this time of frantic cooking, Ruby announced, "Twenty minutes on the clock!" Before humming a melody, no doubt dreaming of the food in store for her. Due to the time they always spent with team RWBY, Pyrrha had a good understanding of what she liked, so fancy pancakes would hopefully go over well with her. Just in case though, she made sure to make plenty so Ruby could think of them as normal pancakes.

Jaune finally decided on what to make - a breakfast burrito. Of course, he never ate these, so he was rather unsure of how to even start. Part of him wasn't even sure if it was supposed to be put together before being cooked, or have all the ingredients cooked separately. He decided to go with his instinct and began cooking each thing in different pans on different burners. He had sausage bits, egg, and ham all being made at once, which was a bit strenuous for him to keep track of. Eventually he had burned the ham, under cooked the sausage and and had runny eggs. He grabbed the large tortilla to wrap it all in, and prayed Ruby would think of it as a dish that had a homemade taste to it. All he could bank on now was that Pyrrha was just as clueless on what to make as Jaune.

Right as the Jaune set down his plate in front of Ruby, she called out, "Times up!" Even though Pyrrha had already finished. Jaune had been in a rather deep trance and hadn't even noticed how close he was to not making the time. But he did, and just hoped it was better than it looked while being prepared.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha was confident in her plate, but was still prepared in case Jaune got the winning place this time. She wasn't afraid of losing, in fact she wanted Jaune to win, but still, having her own cooking validated would bring some relief at least to the redhead. Ruby examined each plate carefully before deciding she was more in the mood for pancakes. She grabbed a fork and began to tear her way through Pyrrha's meal, not even stopping once to contemplate the taste. She had finished in record time, and probably would've won a crepe-eating contest if they were holding one.

"Well done Pyrrha." Ruby burped and giggled, while Pyrrha simply nodded with a modest smile. She looked over at Jaune's plate, and soon began to devour that as well. Half way through she stopped for a moment, wincing a bit before continuing. Somehow the small girl had just eaten two full plates of food, but also two batches of cookies prior. If she was going to hold a third round, she might overeat.

Eventually Ruby had practically licked her plate clean, looking between the two contestants as she imagined what she liked the most. When she came to her verdict, she grabbed their hands each, waiting a moment for the sheer suspense before lifting Pyrrha's into the air triumphantly. The redhead beamed happiness, glad to know she wasn't completely terrible at something so mundane. Meanwhile Jaune also smiled. It wasn't even one of those happy-but-sad expressions he wore so often - he was genuinely happy that the two of them were so evenly matched.

"Well, I suppose you know what that means." Ruby said with a wide grin, letting go of their hands. "Since both of you have won once, and they were - mostly - equal in taste, we need to have a tiebreaker round." Ruby seemed the most excited out of the three of them, happy she wouldn't need to stop off for dinner that night after the multiple course meal she was getting.

Jaune grinned over at Pyrrha, who simply said, "It's on."

 **Sorry for waiting so long to update, I fell out of a writing mood recently. But, I just started watching RWBY Volume 5, which got me hyped again, so more chapters! Always a good thing! Thanks for reading!**


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